Slipper is an atrocious choice for Speaker, except for cynical political gain.  The Libs did the same with Senator Colston.  The public should be dismayed by political opportunism, especially where all of the major players should be attacking big issues.

I have long been a critic of the Libs for preferring short term biff to getting down and forming realistic policies that matter to Australians and arguing the case for those policies.  It is disappointing that the intellectual gifts, education and travel of politicians like Abbott are not put to better use.

It is all about the game & winning.  I have no time for Gillard, but what she has pulled off with this scumbag Slipper has shown a huge touch of opportunistic genius.  It is not yet game, set & match, but I believe she has outstandingly won this game & set.  IMO Abbott should have seen the possibility & covered this possible outcome some time ago.  The best thing about this is that Wilkie will no longer be able to oust our Government.

I agree with you innes (this has got to stop)

Slipper was put in a position where he would be out of a job soon by his own party, so why not pick up an extra $60,000 per year first.

Abbott should have seen it coming but obviously didn't. Will it be a winner in the long run ? Don't know, it could backfire. It certainly made Whiney Piney look dumb.

As to Andrew Wilkie, I think he stands for his principles and I hope he gets the pokie thing through and companies like Woolworths stop making the millions fom gamblers who need help.

fwed,  I wonder if we will ever know the whole story.  It is hard to accept that Gillard had no knowledge about the work being put in by Albanese especially when you consider the political backlash that would follow.  Just remember that all is fair in Love, War & Politics!!!

I must admit to a softening of my opinion, just a wee bit re Slipper.  If your own Party makes it quite clear that you either resign or be sacked, very much in the public arena, You could be somewhat forgiven for taking an opportunity that presents itself.  Loyalty works in both directions.  Just remember the old legal adage  "don't get angry, get even" & boy-O-boy has Slipper got even.

I have no objection to any moves to cut the devestation of the problem gamblers, BUT, making a move that will financially ruin a lot of our clubs & will not achieve anything is not a winner IMO.  The stupid proposal simply will not work or have any chance of achieving any positive result.

The government want their tax revenue from whatever source they can get it and if the pokie cash cow dries up then they will invent new ways of ripping it out of us.

Do you want that to happen? I'm bloody sure I don't.

I rarely go to clubs and don't play the machines ever so if idiots want to feed money into them to reduce the tax burden to us cleaner living folk then good for them. Keep it up gamblers of Australia because without you addicts we would all be paying more and it would probably be an increase in the GST they told us we would never have.

Slipper - one either sees an ethical problem or not.  Similarly, one has regard for the standing and credit of Parliament or not.

Poker machines - while it is true that gamblers will always gamble and are unlikely to be protected from themselves, ruthlessly employing the known psychological levers to manipulate people to their disadvantage - or to manipulate at all - is unconscionable conduct and should be controlled. 

It is going too far to manipulate through high end machines.  Similarly, delivering drinks to players and other incentives/tricks or 'keep 'em at it' manipulation should be outlawed.  Gambling on credit should be outlawed.

I pray that none of the people I care about ever gets hooked up with or parented by a gambler or a drunk.  They are the ones who should be receiving attention, those who are directly affected by the behaviour of the gambler or drunk and the best (only!) alternative is to escape the person and move on.  They should be helped to do that.

I wish that this mob would leave the pokies alone and stop trying to run our lives,they will soon want to know how pieces of toilet paper we use ,they might send a inspector around every day to check

I wonder how much influence that fact that Labor receives thousands of dollars in donations from the various Labor clubs around Australia, had on the decision to remove the Speaker and hence gain a very small majority in the House.  Now Gillard doesn't need to honor the committment to bring in the pokie legislation she promised to Andrew Wilke.   Politics is a dirty business.  It seems to me that politicians no longer represent the people of Australia, but are more intent upon making deals to get their own way - I think that is called bribery.  

Politics is a dirty business.  

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My oath it is

Labor clubs, Nautilus!!  Well I know that there may be one in Canberra.  Not sure where there are others.  Would be interesting to have a list.  Seems to me that with the debate around pokies that Woolworths has many.  Here in Victoria Matheison seems to have more than enough, and supporting the Carlton Football Club.  All AFL clubs have sites with machines, interesting that Hawthorn, Kennett president, has some in the western suburbs.  NRL clubs rely on pokies for their revenue.  It just goes on.  Lots of small clubs in country areas now rely on pokies to survive.  So where do we finish up.  The gambling dollar has supported governments for decades.  Tatts started with the Government's cut supposed to go to support hospitals.  Interesting an article today that said in a couple of years the Vicorian Governement will increase its revenue from pokies to 70 billion a year.  Where does the money come from?  Those who are adicted and those who are hopping to gain a windfall to get themselves out of financial trouble.  Ban them I say.

The whole gambling system, including all who work in it,

or gain from it, are living off the backs of foolish gamblers

who want to get rich quick from other peoples money.

There is something wrong with an industry that survives

on not helping to cut extreme spending by addicts.

I agree with Ted, BAN them.

And we are supposed to be the 'wait a-while State'  In this case it's been a good thing.  Apart from the Casino we don't have pokies over here, people have tried to get them in but they have been howled down everytime.  We saw a sad thing on one of our trips, it was in country SA, we were in a restaraunt, there were two pokies in there,  a fairly elderly gentleman came in and went to a teller machine to get some money out, he was having the devils own job trying to work out how to get his money out of this machine, a much younger guy got up and offered to help and show him how to do it, he accepted and on getting his money went straight to the pokies and in the money went.  I'm so glad we don't have them over here, we have enough problems without them.  Just my opinion.

I'm also glad we don't have your toll roads as well.  Arrrrrh the freedom of living in WA. :) :) :)