Taking a very big gamble

9:12 Mar 21, 2014 76

The Problem Gambling Foundation is to have its funding removed by the Ministry of Health, meaning that, with the exception of its Asian unit, the foundation will cease to exist from June 30. Given that the PGF is the largest single treatment organisation in Australasia (and possibly the world) and accounts for more than half of the whole sector nationally, it will leave a hell of a gap to fill.

This isn't the consequence of a funding squeeze -- the sector is funded from the Problem Gambling Levy on gambling activity -- and staff have been told there is no issue with the quality of services being provided. So why has it happened?

Trevor Mallard is claiming the foundation's public advocacy has made it "particularly unpopular with the Government and with the Ministry of Health, especially around the SkyCity [convention centre deal] stuff". If so, that would be beyond appalling.

It should be noted that the foundation doesn't lobby on the public dollar -- that part of its work is privately funded. But its overall approach, focusing on safe environments as a means of harm prevention rather than just on the individual gambler, is strongly opposed by the gambling industry.

Problem gambling services won't disappear -- the levy has to be spent somewhere -- and the most likely scenario is that the Salvation Army will fill the gap, aling with, perhaps a couple of Maori organisations. But the Salvation Army is a religious organisation and its approach is not suited to all those who need help.

The Ministry of Health has, I gather, been looking to consolidate services in the sector and perhaps that's legitimate. But the Problem Gambling Foundation currently offers free, confidential counselling services from more than 60 locations around the country. It's hard to conceive of the kind of efficiencies that would justify the wholesale disruption of a vital public health service that is suddenly only 12 weeks away.

UPDATE: The Salvation Army professes to be completely blindsided by the news it's to take over as national service provider in the wake of the Problem Gambling Foundation being defunded. And it all has to happen by June 30. It seems fair to call this a debacle.

76 responses to this post

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Hamish, 09:24 Mar 21, 2014

If so, that would be beyond appalling.
Tau Henare handily confirmed the government's position on such matters.
https://twitter.com/tauhenare/status/446725844044902400
…why should Govt pay a group to be critical of it? Pay them to help but don’t pay them to bag the hand that feeds them.
Of course, if they’re not using that funding for lobby work, then that’s invalid.
Is in concievable that the PGF will split into a services org and a lobby group? Theoretically that could allow the services side to continue to operate with minimal disruption, under some new branding.

The A.K. • Since Nov 2006 • 155 posts Report
Matthew Poole, in reply to Hamish, 09:29 Mar 21, 2014

Setting aside the separate funding streams, that’s just fucking vile. It’s entirely legitimate for a group that engages people with problems to also seek to address the causes of those problems. When those problems can only, ultimately, be addressed through government policy, well, lobbying is all that’s left.
ETA: This is not a good turn of events. We've already seen Key threaten the Human Rights Commission's funding over the GCSB bills. Now we have an apparently an actual case/effect relationship between criticism of policy and defunding.

Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report
bob daktari, 09:38 Mar 21, 2014

Lobbying or advocacy is no justification for stopping funding - advocacy work, (I prefer this term to lobby), is often part of govt funded bodies core work - without which in a case like PGF we remain just dealing with the mess at the bottom of the cliff not the causes...
Tau Henare's twitter outburst on biting the hand that feeds is simply deluded. And lets not overlook Tau's "tard" comment to Lew which as pointed out by Cate Owen comes on World Down Syndrome Day - he really is a classy chap.
One can only hope as the story unfolds the reality isn't what many of us are thinking.... I don't like the odds though

auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 540 posts Report
Sam Vilain, 09:40 Mar 21, 2014

Tories... same the world over

San Francisco (was Wellin… • Since Jun 2007 • 24 posts Report
bob daktari, in reply to Sam Vilain, 09:41 Mar 21, 2014

I wonder if thats the organisation mentioned in the PGF press release?
"While the Ministry describes PGF as a valued provider of quality services it has told PGF it has a superior offer for the clinical and public health services PGF provides."
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1403/S00100/statement-on-ministry-of-health-contracts.htm

auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 540 posts Report
Kumara Republic, in reply to Sam Vilain, 10:15 Mar 21, 2014

Tories… same the world over
Mind if it gets a retweet on Twitter?

The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report
George Darroch, 11:00 Mar 21, 2014

I'm with the Problem Gambling Foundation, and am limited in what I can say today.
I will say however that this came as a complete shock to all of us. PGF has been around for two decades, created problem gambling counselling and then public health services in New Zealand. The organisation is widely recognised as a leader in innovation and practice nationally and internationally.
It is also by far the largest organisation doing this work in New Zealand. I mean no disrespect to the Salvation Army with this analogy (I get on extremely well with their Wellington staff), but it is like a python swallowing a buffalo - incorporation of services will be difficult and time consuming, and possibly painful.

WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report
Barry, 12:02 Mar 21, 2014

I'm involved in the governance of a community organisation which necessarily obtains much of its funding from central Government: for several years the Government has been doing this sort of thing. We narrowly escaped having our work being put up for tender - and the tender proposal was not because of concerns with our work, but more the result of the application of a short-sighted ideological position. We are now working through another form of "transition" with the funder. So - maybe this latest development is because the PGF is a bit of a thorn in the side of the Government, but it is also entirely consistent with the Government's attitude to community support groups of any sort. If some other entity actually did come along with "a superior offer", which seemed to allow the Government to pay less and, on the face of it, get more then that's what it would do. It might even sound sensible, but "getting more" according to the lights of our Government somehow always shows up as providing less to those who need it.

Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 9 posts Report
Sam Vilain, in reply to Kumara Republic, 12:29 Mar 21, 2014

Mind if it gets a retweet on Twitter?
Be my guest :-).
Or make your own on torybingo.com

San Francisco (was Wellin… • Since Jun 2007 • 24 posts Report
Geoff Lealand, 12:34 Mar 21, 2014

Another example of the much-too-cosy relationship between the current government and vested interests ?

Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report
Sam M, 13:05 Mar 21, 2014

Can the public see the details of the two offers to determine for themselves which was superior?

Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 72 posts Report
TracyMac, 13:13 Mar 21, 2014

Great, let's outsource more social services US-style to another religious "charity". Especially the frigging SA.
Insert disclaimer that I have nothing against Christians in general, and I know that SA workers do good things.
But that organisation stinks for other, more political, reasons. And yes, apologies aside, if an organisation brands whole classes of people as "more sinful" or whatever, then they should not receive public money.

Canberra, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 701 posts Report
Sacha, in reply to Barry, 13:42 Mar 21, 2014

but “getting more” according to the lights of our Government somehow always shows up as providing less to those who need it.
transferring wealth since forever

Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report
Matthew Poole, 14:05 Mar 21, 2014

DPF makes the valid point that the Sallies aren't exactly silent on the harm caused by problem gambling. Shame the terms of the contract will, of course, be "commercially sensitive" and thus not available for examination by the public.

Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to TracyMac, 14:18 Mar 21, 2014

if an organisation brands whole classes of people as "more sinful" or whatever, then they should not receive public money.
They have been called on that here and I havent time to find the links but yes, also the religious connotations in the rehab bother me too. Sadly choice is minimal in that if you don't use them to get clean, you must be RICHIE RICH.
Sanitarium, get a heap of support with weetbix alone
This bit...
Neither the Australia nor the New Zealand Sanitarium companies pay company tax on their profits, due to their ownership by a religious organisation.[10][11] On their official website Sanitarium defend their tax exemption with several points, stating they operate exclusively for charitable purposes, and that income tax exemptions are available to all companies and individuals in New Zealand who limit themselves to charitable purposes.[12]
However the exemption has been criticised[13][14] and is considered unfair by their competitors.
It's all disgusting, that once again, the innocent are marginalised for the sake of greed

here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report
william blake, 14:39 Mar 21, 2014

Thanks for raising this Russell, so many smaller NGO's have shut over the past eight years and it is politically easy for the closures to happen with so little public reaction.
Remaining organisations will not speak out publicly because of this kind of perceived threat, so the general public are oblivious to erosion of public health until they need access to a service that no longer exists.
As an aside; I wonder if the politician who thought to can the PGF guessed that the voters would see problem gamblers as willing and deserving victims, along the same lines as beneficiary bashing?

Since Mar 2010 • 380 posts Report
Sofie Bribiesca, 14:39 Mar 21, 2014

The more I think about this the more pissed off I am . Screw you if you try to do good and critique. It's ok if you don't care, but you support the Govt. Fucking Crony capitalism . It's disgusting. }:(

here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report
JonathanM, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca, 14:54 Mar 21, 2014

I presume you're aware, but to be clear, Seventh Day Adventist != Salvation Army.

Since Jul 2012 • 64 posts Report
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to JonathanM, 15:11 Mar 21, 2014

Yes which is why I said the religious connotations in rehab, but I should've said their religious..... in that it's primary use for a rehab should not require one buying into the religion. Shouldn't it be about the rehab? Also yes my move into Sanatarium was obviously only in my head :)
My bad.

here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report
JonathanM, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca, 15:28 Mar 21, 2014

Yeah, I dunno whether the religious aspects of the SA would interfere with their ability to rehab folk from problem gambling or not. It might well be problematic for those problem gamblers that are particularly anti-religious to not be interested in rehab from the sallies, but I think we need to be careful about tarring them with the religion==bad brush unless there's evidence it's causing harm to them being able to deliver the rehab? Definitely something that should be looked into carefully.

Since Jul 2012 • 64 posts Report
Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to JonathanM, 15:37 Mar 21, 2014

oh, I don’t have a problem with religious groups per se but I know many who have used the rehab for drug and alcohol addiction and have often heard their views and religion was not what they needed at that time but had no other choice unless they wanted to leave. I think that’s unnecessary pressure.
Also your, “we need to be careful’ I said my bit and I think my point made is by all means help, but without provisos please.

here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report
Kumara Republic, in reply to Matthew Poole, 15:38 Mar 21, 2014

DPF makes the valid point that the Sallies aren’t exactly silent on the harm caused by problem gambling. Shame the terms of the contract will, of course, be “commercially sensitive” and thus not available for examination by the public.
Commercial sensitivity can go fuck itself!

The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report
Sacha, in reply to Kumara Republic, 15:41 Mar 21, 2014

like a sausage

Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report
Lilith __, 15:44 Mar 21, 2014

I find this business deeply shocking but also puzzling: so the PGF criticised the government. So the fuck what? Is this government so unused to opposition that they can't defend their own policy?
I consider NGOs ethically bound to speak for the rights of the people they help. Otherwise they're not doing their job.

Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report
WaterDragon, 16:02 Mar 21, 2014

Disgraceful behaviour by the government, and don't we all believe Peter Dunne telling us it has noting to do with their speaking out against Sky City's manoeuvres?

Behind you • Since Jul 2011 • 79 posts Report