POKER machine revenue is set to help young people living in the Milton-Ulladulla district.
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Following months of debate surrounding donations from the Ulladulla ExServos to community groups as part of its application for more poker machines, Shoalhaven City Council last week accepted an offer of $50,000 from the club that will be used to upgrade netball facilities at the Ulladulla Sports Park.
The ExServos has also donated $25,000 directly to the Dunn Lewis Youth Development Foundation that will go towards the fit-out of a training kitchen at the Parson Street complex.
Gayle Dunn said while the Dunn Lewis Centre was a gambling and alcohol-free facility, she was happy to accept a donation from the club.
“The clubs do a lot for our community,” she added.
The donation will help fit-out a new training kitchen at the centre to be used by hospitality students.
Mrs Dunn said hospitality training opportunities at the facility were limited and explained more kitchen equipment would allow introduction of new cookery courses for young people in the area.
The kitchen is being used by youth groups including Unicef Juniors, but Mrs Dunn said it was “very crowded and cramped”.
The sports park upgrade will allow council to move forward with building two new hard-surface netball courts, including all weather covers, with any left-over funds also to be spent within the park.
While community groups and the most councillors have welcomed the funds, Cr Amanda Findley described council’s decision to “accept the system” as “gutless”.
She believes councils should not be involved in the transfer of “dirty gambling cash” from clubs to sporting organisations and should, instead, reject the money and “show its support for the vulnerable in our community”.
“Council has shrugged its shoulders and made no attempt to change the system in NSW,” Cr Findley said.
“Council could have taken an advocacy role and not accepted the funds, but there is no appetite for advocacy in this council.”
The funding has come following Mayor Joanna Gash’s decision in October to overturn the previous council’s recommendation not to support an application to the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing for an additional 20 poker machines at the ExServos.
