Prominent Christian lobbyist Wendy Francis has condemned the city's leaders for linking a $10 million new performing arts complex in Brisbane to a licensed club with poker machines.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Ms Francis' criticism has also been backed by Tim Costello AO, the head of the Australian Churches GamblingTaskforce
"This announcement reveals the capture of the local government by the clubs' industry money," Mr Costello said.
This comes whilst the NSW State Government launches its new advertising campaign against gambling. The slogan, "You're Stronger than You Think" encourages problem gamblers to seek help and kick their habit.
Brisbane City Council last week decided to go ahead with plans to build a new 300-seat performing arts venue in a new building linked to a separate extension of the Sunnybank Rugby Union Club, allowing the club to have extra poker machines.
"This responsible approach could not be further from that of Council's," Mr Costello said.
The move to build a new performing arts facility on Brisbane's south side is part of Brisbane City Council youth strategy for 2014-16.
However Ms Francis, the Queensland director of the Australian Christian Lobby, said plans to push ahead with a partnership with a licensed club were short-sighted, money hungry and sent a wrong message to young people.
"What we are talking about here is a performing arts complex that is supposed to be funded by our government, by our taxpayers, by our ratepayers," Ms Francis said.
"And we are actually putting taxpayers and ratepayers money now into a place that is going to be promoting gambling to young families," she said.
Last Tuesday, Brisbane City Council announced it would begin work in early 2015 on a new southside multicultural performing arts complex at Macgregor, near Sunnybank.
Brisbane City Council will put $5 million into the new performing arts facility being built on Brisbane City Council-owned land, which is leased to Sunnybank Rugby Union Club.
Sunnybank Rugby Union Club also effectively puts in $5 million.
Ms Francis said it was a questionable decision.
"As part of a youth strategy you wouldn't think that the first thing they would be doing is including gaming," she said.
"It is just incongruous, the two issues."
Ms Francis said she was also worried the decision put Brisbane City Council "into the pocket" of the licensed clubs.
"These are the people who promote poker machines, the clubs and that sort of thing," she said.
"It should be completely separate.
"We should not be depending on gaming money for our performing arts."
Peter Carroll, from Sunnybank Rugby Union Club, last week insisted there were no new gaming machines in the performing arts space.
Mr Carroll said the link between the performing arts centre and the adjacent extension to the leagues club would only allow staff to move between the two centres.
He said this would mostly be used to take food from one building to the other.
Mr Carroll said a person wanting to use the gaming machines had to leave the performing arts complex and re-enter the licensed club.
However Ms Francis said the whole issue had not been well thought through.
"The families who are putting money into through their rates dollar should have a say as to whether they should have gaming machines in their new performing arts complex," she said.
Brisbane's Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said there were gaming clubs all over the city.
"If people want to play a poker machine they are going to find one pretty damn easily," Cr Quirk said.
"I don't think there is any conflict of interest with this; they are separate operations," he said.
"People don't need to go anywhere near the poker machines to enter the performing arts complex under the design."
Cr Quirk said no-one wanting to use the performing arts centre was forced to go through the gaming area.
"And that is the point with this facility."
Cr Quirk said he understood Ms Francis' concerns but believed the two facilities attracted two "different audiences".
Ms Francis said gambling was becoming all-pervasive.
"Gambling is becoming something that kids are seeing just everywhere on the TV," Ms Francis said.
"We expect it on the TV and we can turn it off, but there are families who are seriously affected by gambling issues," she said.
Ms Francis said the linking of the new performing arts complex to a licensed club meant some families would be unable to use it because their families directly opposed gambling.
"These are the vulnerable families who will feel excluded from this arts complex," she said.
Cr Quirk disputed this point.
He said Brisbane City Council did explore other options to build the performing arts centre "but they failed to meet the needs of the arts community".
He said the partnership with the licensed Sunnybank Rugby Union Club meant a $10 million facility could be built, instead of a smaller $5 million facility.
"I really think, in the fullness of time, Wendy's concerns won't materialise," he said.
