EPIC

WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tammy — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 02:35:26 +0000

Deputy President Dwyer from VCAT handed down his decision last Thursday February 14th. There will be no more poker machines in Castlemaine! We would like to thank all our members and supporters. This is a victory for communities everywhere who are trying to halt the pokies juggernaut. Enormous and resounding thanks to Lizzie, Susan, Ron, Raph, Steve and Olivia, our brilliant legal team, who worked for us pro bono via the Maurice Blackburn Social Justice program. We were so lucky to have such incredible representation. Lastly we would like to thank the Mount Alexander Shire Council who had the courage and integrity to see the whole process through.

A fantastic initiative that has sprung from EPIC is PNP (People Not Pokies) which is dedicated to sponsoring local sporting groups without reliance on poker machine revenue:

” ‘People Not Pokies’ believes that communities can fund their own sporting and community clubs without needing money from gaming revenue. We aim to raise money through public and private donations and business sponsorship. We are excited to announce that we are on the verge of signing an historic five year agreement with the Castlemaine Football/Netball club on the proviso they do not take any money from gaming revenue. This will be the first such agreement with a grass roots football club in Australia and it is occuring in our own shire.

We hope People Not Pokies can in turn sponsor other community and sporting clubs in the shire and build a successful model that we can send to other communities.

We are very excited at the formation of People Not Pokies and the possibility to unite all sectors of the community. Football clubs are an integral aspect of country town life with hundreds of people involved in running the club and participating in football and netball. We would like all members of EPIC to become involved and learn a more about People Not Pokies. Our website is peoplenotpokies.org and our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/pages/People-not-Pokies/371276692934548.

You will see more of People not Pokies in the coming weeks, we hope you will support this initiative as you have EPIC.

People Not Pokies is made up of supporters and members of EPIC and is for the community.

Jeremy Forbes

President of People Not Pokies”

Thank You Everyone!

EPIC

Council will vote on the MHS’s planning application 12/02/12

tammy — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:48:33 +0000

The Maryborough Highland Society’s planning permit application (which has been running concurrently with the gambling permit appeal), reaches a critical stage at this Tuesday’s Council Meeting at the Town Hall.

After receiving more than 500 written objections to the planning permit and months of consideration, it appears Council Officers have recommended the planning permit application be refused.

The report and recommendation is within the Council Agenda here.

Council will vote on Tuesday February 12 to support or oppose the MHS development on planning terms and we encourage all EPIC members and supporters, particularly those among the 500+ community members who have submitted a written objection, to attend the Town Hall meeting at 7.30pm.

We believe the opposition to the MHS proposal to treble the number of pokies in our Shire is diverse and significant.

We encourage you to attend Tuesday’s meeting and by simply being there, remind Councillors that Community opposition to this toxic proposal remains strong and committed.

The EPIC Committee thanks you for your continued support and reminds those community members attending that there is provision to address Council during question time but at all other times during the meeting, please ensure silence and respect for Councillors and Council process is maintained.

On the VCAT gambling permit matter – of course we will contact everyone with news of the decision as soon as we receive it.

Thanks again!

The EPIC committee

VCAT APPEAL RECOMMENCING DECEMBER 10th

tammy — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:35:47 +0000

Hi Members, Friends and Supporters. The VCAT appeal recommences on Monday December 10th 2012. Please come along if you can. If you are not already a member, join here: http://enoughpokies.org/membership.php.

We will be catching the 8.06am Castlemaine train down to Melbourne every morning from Monday through to Thursday or Friday (depending upon how long the hearing takes). Join us if you can! VCAT is located at 55 King Street Melbourne (on the N/W corner of King St and Flinders Lane) The hearing runs from 10.00-4.30 daily. If you need additional info or assistance getting to VCAT, please contact secretary@enoughpokies.org. Thanks!

Follow what’s happening at VCAT!

tammy — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:40:25 +0000

Open letter published in the Maryborough Advertiser 17/08/12

tammy — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:57:59 +0000

Published in the Maryborough Advertiser 17/08/12

VCAT Hearing August 20th to 24th. Come along!

tammy — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 04:08:13 +0000

Hi Members, friends and supporters! A reminder that the VCAT hearing commences this coming Monday August 20th. We will be catching the 8.06am Castlemaine train down to Melbourne every morning from Monday through to Friday. Join us if you can! VCAT is located at 55 King Street Melbourne (on the N/W corner of King St and Flinders Lane) The hearing runs from 10.00-4.30 daily. If you need additional info or assistance getting to VCAT, please contact secretary@enoughpokies.org. Thanks!

VCAT UPDATE 26/06/12

tammy — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:37:45 +0000

Dear Members, Friends and Supporters,

We’ve formally been given the green light to participate in the VCAT
hearings – we’re the first genuine community organisation to be able to
participate in these kind of proceedings and the first non-council body
to lead evidence in an appeal from the Commission at VCAT.

Today’s decision demonstrates that VCAT understands views from EPIC are
important in the interests of justice in making the final decision.

The decision by Senior Member Proctor today has legitimised our
organisation presenting important evidence to the hearing on behalf of
the concerned community of Castlemaine.

Thankyou all for your tremendous support! And a big thankyou also, to our team at Maurice Blackburn. Check here or on our Facebook page for regular updates.

Support this action by a group of Woolworths shareholders

tammy — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 07:28:20 +0000

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/pokies-reform/1-120-solution/woolworths-time-for-pokie-reform

For the first time hundreds of GetUp members have come together to use their shareholder power to call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of a top 20 ASX company: Woolworths Ltd.

Will you join us in this historic tactic by supporting the resolution to be moved at that meeting that would require Woolworths to make their poker machines safer for communties? We must demonstrate that it’s not just shareholders that are counting on Woolworths to do the right thing, but also customers across the country. Please add your name to this petition, to be delivered by shareholders to the Woolworths Board at the EGM: Sign on to support the resolution using our simple tool on the right. Here is a summary of the resolution:

If passed, the resolution would amend the constitution of Woolworths Ltd to prevent it owning, operating or benefiting from:

“any electronic gaming machine offering games to the public:

i. at a cost of more than $1 per button push; and/or

ii. by which the machine is capable of generating net revenue at an average rate of more than $120 per hour; and/or

iii. for more than 18 consecutive hours in a 24 hour period”

from January 2016 onward.

Read the letter we wrote that Woolworths must send to all shareholders here

VCAT UPDATE

admin — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 11:28:26 +0000

The decision on whether EPIC can be joined as a party at VCAT has been deferred. We expect to hear the decision within the next two weeks. We will keep you updated.

IT’S TIME TO LODGE POKIES PLANNING OBJECTIONS

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:16:54 +0000

The MHS has finally activated its planning application which means we have until 8/6/2012 to lodge planning objections with Mount Alexander Shire Council.
The planning process is separate to the gaming licence process which included the first round of written objections and is being appealed to VCAT.
Planning objections could include concerns about traffic, car parking, noise and disturbance, hours of operation, heritage issues, amenity and character impacts, and impacts on CBD businesses and traders.

FOR INFO AND TO OBJECT ONLINE CLICK HERE