What is it?
GambleAware Fairfield Online Forum which was held live during GambleAware Week 2020, with the webinars raising awareness into gambling harm in Fairfield City, New South Wales, Australia.
Experts and other guests explored the issues of gambling harm, the services available, current research and local harm reduction projects.
The webinars were hosted by Social Innovator and Strategist Heather Nesbitt, featuring guest speaker Steve Cannane (Investigative Journalist, ABC News) and many others.
Session 1 titled: Gambling Harm – Understanding the Impact & Finding Support, focus’ on gambling harm in Fairfield; local stories, the services available and where to get help.
The second session titled: Gambling Harm – A showcase of local gambling harm reduction projects, looks at local projects and research that is helping services address gambling harm in Fairfield.
Who is it?
Host:
Heather Nesbitt, Social Innovator and Strategist
Special guests included:
Steve Cannane, Investigative Journalist, ABC News
Kate Da Costa, Alliance of Gambling reform
And many more.
Heather Nesbitt: Thought Leader, Strategic Advisor and Social Innovator for liveability and improvements to people’s quality of life. With extensive experience in stakeholder engagement Heather has chaired many advisory groups, advised governments on community needs and social infrastructure governance; and engaged with stakeholders and communities on a range of liveability and social issues.
Steve Cannane: A Walkley award-winning news and current affairs reporter for the ABC Investigative Unit. His most recent work unearths the complexity of problem gambling across Australian communities.
Kate Da Costa: Kate has worked for the Alliance for Gambling Reform as the NSW Campaigner since late 2017, when the Alliance first began actively working on reforms to reduce gambling harm in NSW. Kate has worked closely with a range of organisations and individuals across Western Sydney, which has resulted in the foundations of a community movement calling for changes
What is being said?
Steve Cannane: “I was contacted by over 100 people who said self exclusion doesn’t work.”
“All these people are saying they are applying to be self-excluded, they are going on the register but they are still being allowed to gamble.”
“We lose $24bn a year in Australia through gambling, more per capita than any other country and the country that is second, isn’t even close to us.”
Why should I watch it?
Steve Cannane talks through his insightful findings found in his year- long investigation into the gambling industry in Australia. In 2016-2018 he was the ABC’s Europe Correspondent based in London allowing him to compare the two countries.
Through a crowd source project asking people to tell ABC more about their experience with the gambling industry, answers coming back from over 2000 respondents with a mixture of those in the gambling industry, those who have had gambling related harm, individually or through their families being able to tell them how the gambling industry works.
Where can I see more?
Source: Fairfield City Council YouTube Channel
