Our clubs and pubs support our communities – Government must support them
Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, has said the viability of member clubs across New South Wales should be a priority for the Government with the local MP calling for a temporary waiver of the quarterly gaming machine tax.
“Clubs in New South Wales, like RSLs and Bowling clubs, are integral to the fabric of many of our communities and we need to ensure their viability throughout this pandemic.
“These Clubs do incredible amounts of good. Some of it you never see. They are a meeting place, function venue, a place to eat, and so much more. In times of crisis like fires, or storms, clubs often become distribution hubs, or makeshift shelters.
“Each quarter clubs must pay a gaming machine revenue tax – this tax can be anywhere from 19.9% to 29.9% of profits from gaming machines per quarter. This is a significant amount of money, and in normal times, part of doing business for clubs.
“I’m calling on the NSW Government to temporarily waive the payment of this tax to Revenue NSW. This money could be the difference between a Club being able to keep local staff employed and pay the bills.”
Clubs New South Wales is one of the largest employers in regional and rural areas, employing over 13,000 full time workers and over 22,000 casual workers.
“At the moment Clubs NSW has had to stand down 91% of their casual staff because they cannot afford to keep them on during the pandemic. Clubs have attempted to retain permanent staff, a sign of their commitment to their teams – retaining the funds they would usually have to pay to Revenue NSW would go a long way in assisting in keeping these staff employed.”
The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party are concerned about the impact the closures will have on the community in the short term and the potential loss of many of these clubs, permanently, in the long term if they cannot reopen as soon as possible.
“How many clubs across rural New South Wales do we know that support local fundraising initiatives and sponsor many local sporting groups? Without clubs our communities would be at a loss.”