Don’t link casinos to domestic violence, Queensland AG says

Here’s one for the books: The Queensland government has vetoed an idea that the planned Queens Wharf casino and resort in Brisbane will give rise to domestic violence cases in the area.

The issue came after state opposition leader Lawrence Springborg questioned Attorney General Yvette D’Ath and Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman if they are aware “of the many studies that establish a root cause link between problem gambling and domestic violence” during a debate in the State Parliament, abc.net.au reported.

Other opposition MPs followed Springborg’s line of questioning, but D’Ath immediately shut them down, telling them, “it’s not in our casinos where we have the biggest problems.”

“It is in fact in our local communities. It is our pensioners who are going down to our local clubs,” the attorney general said, according to the report. “I am absolutely amazed that with everything that has been going on in this state [in relation to domestic violence] that our discussion here in parliament today is about gambling and gaming machines.”