Romsey residents fighting application for pokie machines
Residents in the small town of Romsey, north-west of Melbourne are fighting the reopening of the town's sole pub because of an application install 50 pokies.
Transcript
00:00 When Mark Spiker moved to Romsey for a tree change, he loved the quiet, rural feel of
00:07 the town. He's one of many locals fighting against a proposal to redevelop and open the
00:12 local pub, with 50 pokie machines installed.
00:16 I don't agree with it. I don't think towns need pokies, especially community towns like
00:21 Romsey, a town that has a lot of young vulnerable families as well as vulnerable older people.
00:27 It was an argument that was made successfully by the local council 15 years ago, after the
00:32 pub's owner Jim Hogan made a similar application. Back then, his bid was quashed after a five-year
00:38 legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court.
00:41 Now, the plan is back on the table, and this time the application is being made through
00:46 the local football netball club that's offering to operate the pub on behalf of the owner
00:51 for two years. Some residents support the revived plan.
00:55 I think it's great. I think it's great for the town. It's been a long time without a
00:59 pub. I'm only new to the area, and it's strange to not have a pub in a town like Romsey.
01:06 But many are against it, including Sandra Chestnut, who thinks the social cost would
01:11 outweigh any economic boost to the town.
01:14 Especially in this current economic climate, with people really, really struggling with
01:19 interest rates, etc. I really don't think it's a viable proposition for the town.
01:25 You only have to look around the town, the empty shops, I don't think so.
01:29 Fifteen years ago, the council fought the pokies. This time, it hasn't yet said if it's
01:34 for or against the proposal, but it will make a submission into the gambling commission.
01:40 Down the road, an old wine bar is opening up as a pub in a few weeks, leaving some locals
01:45 wondering why the football club has even bothered.
01:49 You don't need pokies to run a hotel. We've got five hotels in the local area, none of
01:56 them have pokies, and all of them are successful.
02:00 But still, the hotel is going all in, betting on a more favourable outcome this time around.
02:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]