By Alesha Capone
Plans to build a $12 million licensed venue with 70 electronic gaming machines in Truganina have been approved by the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.
Werribee Football Club is proposing to construct a precinct named Club Tarneit on Woods Road, including a gaming room with pokies machines, bistro, function space, sports bar and café.
The VCGLR conducted a two-day hearing into the Club Tarneit proposal last month and announced its decision to support the proposal on April 1, in a document released via its website.
The document stated that construction of the Truganina premises must be completed by March 31, 2023, in order to maintain the VCGLR approval.
The VCGLR has ordered that an outdoor smoking terrace, which would have been located adjacent to Club Tarneit’s gaming room, must be removed from the proposal.
Werribee FC has also committed to contributing $75,000 per annum to not-for-profit community groups and sporting organisations in Wyndham, once the 70 pokies begin operating.
The VCGLR made this a condition of its approval for Club Tarneit, along with a requirement for Werribee FC to increase the work hours of its community development manager from part-time to full-time.
The VCGLR website stated the commission would release a list of its reasons for approving Club Tarneit at a later date.
Once built, Club Tarneit will have the capacity to hold 600 people.
The estimated level of gaming expenditure to be generated by the venue’s 70 pokies machines will likely fall between $7.38 and $8.03 million within its first 12 months of operation.
A total of 42 equivalent full-time jobs will be created at Club Tarneit, including eight in the gaming room.
Wyndham mayor Adele Hegedich said that “gambling machines are the most dominant source of financial loss and harm in Australia.”
“Wyndham City is committed to protecting and promoting the health and wellbeing of all Wyndham residents by working to prevent the many financial and social harms associated with gambling,” Cr Hegedich said.
“We recognise the cost to the community is not just a financial loss, but it also has devastating impacts on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and businesses.”
