Wyndham council has been left red-faced after hosting a launch party at the Plaza Tavern a fortnight after releasing a draft policy that plans to ban staff from holding council events at poker machine venues.
Councillor Josh Gilligan has demanded a review into how the Plaza Tavern’s Manhattan Ballroom was selected for the Wyndham Business Awards launch last Thursday.
The event was held a fortnight after the council released a draft gambling harm minimisation policy that, if adopted unchanged, will “explicitly prohibit” council staff from holding events, activities, programs and social outings in venues with poker machines.
Cr Gilligan, who chairs the council’s Gambling Reference Advocacy Group, said he had been blindsided by the Plaza Tavern being chosen as the venue. He did not attend the event.
“There are no excuses for holding any council event at a venue where residents lost $7.28 million to pokies in the second half of 2017,” he said.
“I completely reject and disassociate myself from the decision and will be demanding a review as to how this could possibly happen on the eve of endorsing our harm minimisation policy.”
Wyndham economy, innovation and liveability acting director Peter McKinnon said the gambling harm minimisation policy was still in its draft stage and that “key actions” would be implemented over time.
“Council booked the venue for the Wyndham Business Awards event five months before the policy reached its draft stage,” he said. “The action plan states that the prohibition of events at venues with poker machines will be implemented over a period of one to two years.
“The Wyndham gambling harm minimisation policy and action plan is an important document that council takes very seriously.”
