The ACT Greens have defended their decision to take a large political donation from one of Canberra’s biggest pokies operators.
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The party took a political donation in the 2011-2012 financial year from building union the CFMEU, which owns the city’s Tradies clubs and their 540 poker machines - that reaped a profit of more than $10 million in 2010-2011.
Documents published by the ACT electoral authority yesterday show the Greens, who have campaigned for “ethical investment” laws and tougher rules on problem gambling contributions, received a $12,500 from the union.
The CFMEU also donated $40,000 in the same reporting period to ACT Labor, which has had its finances underpinned by pokies money for decades.
But The Greens’ campaign co-ordinator Indra Esguerra said today that that the Greens supported the union’s efforts on safer workplaces.
“Their main thing is that they are a workers’ union and that’s where we’re coming from,” Ms Esguerra said.
“They know that we have very strong and clear polices on poker machines and they know that we’re the only party in Canberra and nationally that want to reduce poker machine numbers.
“Poker machines are their business arm, but their main thing is to ensure that workers are looked after.”
Ms Esguerra conceded that not everyone in her party was enthusiastic about accepting the money from the union.
“There were probably a few people who felt a little uneasy about it, but some people feel uneasy about taking donations from anyone, whether it be a union or a business,” she said.
CFMEU ACT branch secretary Dean Hall, who is also chair of the Tradies board, said the union and not the clubs had donated the money and that he was pleased with the Greens’ industrial relations policy.
“It comes from the CFMEU, it doesn’t come from the clubs,” he said.
“Mainly why we’ve given to them is because they have great policies around industrial relations, polices that support the aspirations of CFMEU.”
The Tradies club has clashed with other local clubs in the past over its stance on problem gambling and Mr Hall said the clubs and the Greens had much in common in their attitudes to harm minimisation.
“The Tradies has had a proud tradition for over 15 years in being a leader in providing support services and intervention for problem gambling and we support anything than minimises social costs and damage arising from gambling or alcohol,” he said.
