You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

You can listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

Independent MLCs broadly supported these measures as being evidence-based ways of decreasing harm to problem gamblers without impacting recreational players, and to allow venues to implement them by 2028.

Murchison independent MLC Ruth Forrest said she did not understand why the major parties would not support it, and that there was no guarantee of further harm minimisation by 2043.

The harm that these people experience is enormous in terms of the cost to our health system, to our social services system, to our justice system, that's where the costs are," she said.

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The Burnie Surf Life Saving Club celebrated its Centenary on Saturday 13 November, 2021 

You can listen to my interview with Leon Compton, where I discuss the scrutiny of the Gaming Control Amendment Bill currently before the Legislative Council here:

An upper house member has claimed Tasmanians still have little knowledge of what pokies reforms will look like in the community even after two elections, but the government and Labor have blocked a move for further scrutiny.

The Legislative Council voted eight to six against a motion to send the government's pokies reforms to a parliamentary committee where it would be subject to witness evidence, submissions and a report.
Independent Mersey MLC Mike Gaffney moved the motion which was supported by independents Ruth Forrest, Rob Valentine, Tania Rattray and Meg Webb, as well as outgoing Labor MLC Bastian Seidel.

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 Congratulations to the Step in 2020 People Improvers program for being one of the winners of 2021 BHP Women in Resources National Awards.

Listen to their story here:

Today I spoke with Belinda King about raising the age of criminal responsibility. You can listen to the interview here:

Listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

A Labor MLC representing the part of the state most heavily saturated with poker machines says the reform debate is no longer of much interest to his community as he signals his intention to vote in its favour.

Elwick MLC Josh Willie spoke in the Legislative Council on Wednesday after being heavily lobbied by pokies reform advocates over recent months, given his position as a representative covering Glenorchy, home to the state's largest pokies venues.

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House of Assembly speaker Mark Shelton has rejected a claim that some House of Assembly members may have been under the influence of alcohol during the final vote on gaming legislation last month.

Lower house members engaged in a 23-hour debate over separate sittings in October and passed the controversial gaming bill late at night before the chamber took a break for a week.

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The Gaming Control Amendment (Future Gaming Market) Bill 2021 is currently before the Legislative Council.

Listen to my speech here:

I was fortunate to attend Burnie High School’s production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ on Saturday 11th September at the Burnie Arts and Function Centre.

You can view the transcript of this speech here:

https://ruthforrest.com.au/parliament/speeches/special-interest

Noting the achievement of Wynyard Yacht Club members Chris Symonds and his support worker Ela Klinger who participated in the Hansa Para World Championships in Palermo, Sicily, in October 2021:

Kirsty Slemint, a science communicator and documentary filmmaker from North-West Tasmania, is the first Australian to be offered a place at the prestigious National Film and Television School in the UK.

Listen to her story here:

Today I spoke with Belinda King about raising the age of criminal responsibility. You can listen to the interview here:

There's hope the government will take the lead to implement legislative changes to protect intersex children from undergoing unnecessary, non-consenting medical intervention.

Intersex is an umbrella term for variations of sex characteristics that can be chromosomal, hormonal or structural.

In a recently released report, the Australian Human Rights Commission recommended all Australian states and territories pass legislation to prevent such medical interventions.

The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute made the recommendation to criminalise the practice in 2020.

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Listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here:

Listen to my latest catch up with Mike O'Loughlin here: