Macedon Ranges Shire Council has “signed the death warrant” of Kyneton Bowling Club, its members say.
The club will not be permitted to operate electronic gaming machines from its current council-leased site beyond 2037.
Last week, the council stipulated a lease renewal for the club required divestment of EGMs within 10 years of the new contract.
New EGM divestment detail was included in a revised Gambling Harm Minimisation Policy and adopted in a 7-2 vote on Monday.
The policy’s original intent was to prevent any form of gambling at council-owned or managed sites. Kyneton Bowling Club is the only EGM operator in the shire currently leasing a council site and has relied on the income of EGMs since 1995.
The latest policy changes replace the previous adopted policy, voted 5-3 in August, which was altered to “soften” the impact on the bowling club.
The previous adopted policy detached EGM divestment from lease negotiations but did not specify a timeframe for EGM removal and was not clear, “leaving it open to interpretation,” some councillors stated.
Cr Christine Walker lodged a rescission motion, recalling the policy for debate, following councillor “misunderstanding of information”.
“I could see the motion was misunderstood by other councillors too, as evidenced in the debate, with some councillors saying that the alternative motion (previously adopted) required divestment of EGMs and others saying it allowed continuation of EGMs,” she said.
The rescission was supported and a motion to adopt the policy with a clear maximum 10-year timeframe was upheld in a 7-2 vote.
It states council will provide guidance and avenues of support for lease-holders to relinquish their EGM licence and divest themselves of EGMs.
Any new lease will state the conditions and timing for the divestment of EGMs, which is to commence no later than five years into the new lease and conclude at a maximum period of 10 years.
Cr Walker said the timeframe would give the bowling club sufficient time to implement new business models. She said it also made it clear that the council would provide avenues of support to assist divestment.
“Some may argue that the time frame is too long,” she said.
“This is a community organisation, it’s not some start-up in Silicon Valley, it can’t pivot on a pin-head. It needs time and we need to respect the people who do the work in these organisations.”
Cr Mark Ridgeway opposed the change, concerned about linking the lease to EGM removal.
“At this point I’m not convinced that all the options and ramifications have been fully explored,” he said.
Cr Jennifer Anderson opposed the move, with concern over the “very long time” the EGMs could remain.
It was made clear at the meeting, there are no automatic rights for the bowling club’s lease renewal. The process also involves state government input.
“No magic bullet”
Kyneton Bowling Club chairperson Paula Adams said club members held concern for KBC’s future.
“We think they’ve signed the death warrant for the club. That’s how we are feeling now. We may well come up with something that works but it is unknown at this time,” she said.
“It leaves us with an insurmountable challenge because we don’t have the volunteer capacity to take on this huge amount of work to remodel.
“If the clubroom closes, we lose 23 jobs, money stops going to the community, and social connections are lost for vulnerable people.
“We are working on a strategic plan and considering alternate revenue streams but in the cold light of day it’s very daunting. There is no magic bullet.”
Ms Adams said removing EGMs from the bowling club would not change the gambling habits of people in the town.
“People can still go to the RSL or gamble in an unsupervised environment. It’s just moving the problem out of their backyard,” she said.
Kyneton Bowling Club has started strategic planning. They are in the process of informing club members and encouraging new ideas.
“We have to reimagine the club, we need to test it, and it might fail. We’re volunteers – not business strategists. It’s going to take the broader membership,” Ms Adams said.
