ClubsNSW Media Releases - 2005
Date: 15th December
CLUBS WITHDRAW FROM POKIE TAX TALKS
The NSW Club Industry has withdrawn from future talks with the State Government in light of a proposal from Premier Morris Iemma that gouges $6.966 billion in poker machine tax from the NSW Club Industry between 2004/05 and 2010/11.
Date: 30th October
CLUB MERGER REVEALS POKIE TAX CON
The 70,000 members of the Mt Pritchard & District Community Club are today expected to overwhelming support a merger with the Harbord Diggers Club in what will be the largest amalgamation ever to take place between two registered clubs in Australia and a bringing together of Sydney's western and northern suburbs.
Date: 17th October
NRMA JOINS CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT CLUBS
Two of Australia 's largest community organisations representing a combined 4.5 million members NRMA Motoring & Services and ClubsNSW, have formed a new alliance to ensure the future of club-sponsored community activities.
Date: 10th October
CLUBS WELCOME COALITION PLAN TO SAVE INDUSTRY
The release today of the NSW Coalition's Registered Clubs Policy, including its written undertaking to freeze poker machine tax rates at their second year increase, offers the Industry hope that it might yet have a long term future that includes allowing it to continue supporting community and sporting groups as it has done so for more than fifty years.
Date: 1st September
CLUB POKER MACHINE TAX RISES AGAIN
NSW Premier and Treasurer Morris Iemma could stop club poker machine tax increases at the rates they are today and Treasury would still receive upwards of an extra $800 million in revenue alone over the original seven year period ending in 2010.
Date: 15th August
STATEMENT RE. CLUBSNSW MEETING WITH PREMIER IEMMA ON POKER MACHINE TAX INCREASES
Today's meeting with Premier Iemma was a productive first step towards establishing a fair rate of Club tax.
Date: 2nd August
CLUBS RESOLVE TO CONTINUE FIGHT FOR AN END TO POKIE TAX
A meeting today of more than 600 representatives of registered clubs from all parts of the State has overwhelming carried a resolution that the campaign for a significant reduction in the rate of poker machine tax continue unabated.
Date: 27th July
CARRS LEGACY INCLUDES DESTRUCTION OF NSW CLUB INDUSTRY
The Premier's ten years in office has coincided with arguably the most financially devastating period in the one hundred year history of the Club Movement, and as such ClubsNSW can only see a change in leadership as a positive for the NSW Club Industry.
Date: 21st July
ANTI-SMOKING LOBBY CONTINUES DELIBERATE CAMPAIGN OF MISINFORMATION
Claims by anti-smoking groups of a loophole in legislation that bans 100% of smoking inside a pub or club is deliberately deceptive and has nothing to do with protecting the health of non-smokers and everything to do with having smoking declared illegal.
Date: 16th July
POKIE TAX SMOKING BAN DOUBLE WHAMMY
Smoking bans set to commence in July 2007 at clubs and pubs in NSW significantly increase the urgency with which the State Government must reduce its $1.8 billion poker machine tax increases for medium and large sized clubs.
Date: 14th July
TAX AND SMOKING SET TO CLAIM ANOTHER CLUB
The double whammy of increased poker machine tax combined with indoor smoking bans has caused four of the largest registered clubs in Australia to overnight pull out of a potential rescue plan to save a club with almost 8,000 members on the Central Coast , from closure.
Date: 2nd July
STATEMENT INDOOR SMOKING BANS
In accordance with an announcement by the State Government on 12 October last year, all 1400 registered clubs in NSW will from Monday 4 July be implementing regulations that will restrict smoking to at most, one room.
Date: 17th June
GOVERNMENT'S POKIE TAX STARTS TO BITE
The most visible impact of the State Government's $1.8 billion increase in poker machine tax has occurred with the Group Board of the Penrith Panthers recommending that it dispose of up to $60 million in group assets.
Date: 11th June
CLUBS URGE ALP STATE CONFERENCE DELEGATES TO PUSH FOR POKIE TAX REVIEW
Registered clubs are urging attending delegates at this weekend's ALP state conference to use the annual event as an opportunity to remind the Party of the damage the Government's poker machine tax increases is having on the community, especially those in electorates held by Labor MPs.
Date: 10th June
CLUBS CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR VOLUNTEER RESCUE ASSOCIATION
More than a dozen units of the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) will share in $100,000 in urgently needed equipment and building works as ClubsNSW and Club Keno deliver on their promise to further strengthen their support of the emergency service.
Date: 30th May
CLUBS SAVED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION
Concerns that registered clubs were to be hit with sudden tax bills in the tens of millions of dollars as a result of a decision by the High Court last Friday have been alleviated with the Commonwealth intervening to protect the thousands of affected not-for-profit organisations.
Date: 30th May
HIGH COURT RULING THREATENS CLUB FUTURE
Only intervention from the Federal Government can save registered clubs across Australia from a crippling overnight tax bill of tens of millions of dollars following High Court confirmation of a ruling which effectively overturns a section of the 120 year old 'Principle of Mutuality'.
Date: 28th May
CHEF PAIRING SCORES CULINARY WIN WITH $20 MEAL
Diners accustomed to paying more than one hundred dollars for a three course meal will be pleased to learn a pair of chefs working to a budget of less than $20 in food costs, have walked away with a top culinary award.
Date: 28th May
BOWLING CLUB PUTS KAHIBAH ON INDUSTRY MAP
It may not be one of the larger clubs in the State or even in Newcastle for that matter, but Kahibah Bowling Club has certainly proven itself capable of playing well above its weight at the 2005 ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence.
Date: 28th May
SOUTH WESTERN SYDNEY CLUBS RECEIVE DUE RECOGNITION
Campbelltown Catholic Club has lived up to its title of King of Clubs, taking out the 2005 Large Club of the Year Award, beating home four fellow south western Sydney clubs in the process.
Date: 28th May
NEW ENGLAND CLUBS DOMINATE INDUSTRY AWARDS NIGHT
Two clubs from the New England and North West region have dominated the Club Industry's annual awards ceremony held overnight, together taking out one quarter of all category awards.
Date: 28th May
OLD BAR BEACH TOPS SAWTELL FOR CLUB HONOURS
The Old Bar Beach Bowling Club has been named overnight the 2005 Medium Club of the Year; the third time in the past four years the Club has walked away with the highly coveted title, despite being pushed all the way by fellow mid north coast club Sawtell RSL.
Date: 28th May
CENTRAL COAST CLUBS SCORE WELL AT INDUSTRY AWARDS
Tuggerah Lakes Memorial Club has once again proved itself one of the top clubs in the State, with judges at the ClubsNSW Awards for Excellence listing it as a finalist in seven award categories; winning one and receiving a rare Highly Commended in another.
Date: 28th May
CAMPBELLTOWN WINS CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD
Campbelltown Catholic Club has lived up to its title of King of Clubs, taking out the 2005 Large Club of the Year Award; the seventh major award it has taken out this year.
Date: 10th May
SKY CHANNEL REBATE 18 PER CENT
I am sure Clubs will appreciate Sky Channel's 18% reduction in subscription fees made effective from May 3.
Date: 3rd May
TV RACING WAR OF ATTRITION MUST NOT OCCUR
The 660 registered clubs in NSW currently operating a TAB facility have shown great patience over the past eighteen months waiting for Sky Channel and ThoroughVisioN (TVN) to negotiate a deal that gives the industry some certainty with regard to coverage of televised thoroughbred horse racing.
Date: 21st April
BLEAK FUTURE FOR CLUB TABS
The battle for television rights to Sydney horse racing has today taken a new twist with many registered clubs saying they will permanently close their ClubTAB facility if the introduction of a second racing broadcaster causes significant increases in operational costs as is widely expected.
Date: 21st April
ANZAC DAY RIBBONS AVAILABLE FROM RSL CLUBS
The people of Sydney are being asked to wear a simple green and gold ribbon on Anzac Day in acknowledgement of Australia's servicemen and women who have for more than a century defended both our nation and the world from the evils of war.
Date: 21st April
CLUB CONFERENCE TAKES FLIGHT TO SEAGULLS
An expected $5 million will be injected into the economy of the Far North Coast with ClubsNSW today launching its Annual Conference, Trade Expo and Annual General Meeting to be staged at the Seagulls Rugby League Club.
Date: 26th March
CLUBS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN FOR GREATER UNDERSTANDING
The NSW Club Industry today launches a state-wide advertising campaign in an effort to generate greater understanding of the community roles of registered clubs.
Date: 16th March
DEPUTY PM OPENS CLUBS' NATIONAL OFFICE
The opening of a national office in Canberra today for registered clubs will significantly further with government an understanding of the growing list of challenges facing the Club Industry across all states and territories within Australia.
Date: 1st March
CLUBS REMAIN UNWILLING TO BEAR THE COSTS OF OTHERS
It would be presumptuous of ClubsNSW to issue any directive to its members before RacingNSW has concluded its analysis of the TVN financial model.
Date: 25th February
CLUBS FURTHER COMMUNITY SUPPORT
A record number of community and sporting groups are expected over the next two months to come forward with project suggestions for local clubs to fund through the Community Development and Support Expenditure program (CDSE).
Date: 17th February
RACING DEAL NOT GOOD FOR CLUBS
ClubsNSW today rejected the claim of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) and ThoroughVisioN (TVN) that a deal had been struck that involves clubs receiving TVN broadcasts of Victorian and Sydney thoroughbred racing.
Date: 15th February
GETTING HOT IN THE KITCHEN
The culinary challenge has been firmly set for the twelve finalists battling to win this year's ClubsNSW Chef's Table Award.
Date: 28th January
CLUBS FURTHER SUPPORT FOR TSUNAMI RELIEF
Six days in Indonesia's devastated Aceh Province convinced the CEO of ClubsNSW that the Industry needed to further its support of tsunami disaster relief efforts in south Asia.
Date: 5th January
STATEMENT RE.WORLD VISION REJECTION
Statement re. community and media response to World Vision's decision not to accept a $500,000 donation to tsunami disaster relief efforts:
Date: 4th January
CLUB DONATIONS CONTINUE IN RECORD NUMBERS
Donations from clubs representing all parts of the State have so far seen more than three quarters of a million dollars raised for tsunami disaster relief efforts now urgently needed in many parts of south Asia.
Date: 3rd January
CARE AUSTRALIA REPLACES WORLD VISION
In the space of less than one week, the volume of donations from registered clubs for tsunami disaster relief has proved so massive that ClubsNSW is now expecting the final amount raised to reach the one million dollar mark.
Date: 2nd January
CLUBS CLOSING IN RECORD NUMBERS
A study of registered clubs across NSW has confirmed fears within the Industry that the number of clubs being forced to close is occurring at an alarming rate never before seen in its one hundred plus year history.