A trove of unsealed cabinet records from 1995 has shed light on the internal government discussions that led to a dramatic increase in poker machines across the Northern Territory. That same year, the region also passed groundbreaking legislation on voluntary assisted dying (VAD), with amendments to the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act detailed in the documents.
The confidential papers, released annually by the Northern Territory’s Library and Archives, offer a glimpse into the formal policy submissions of the government of the day. However, not all documents have been made public. According to Michelle Grantham, executive director of the NT’s cabinet office, 57 documents remain sealed for legal reasons.
“Thirty years isn’t that long ago and some of these individuals are still alive, so there is a process that records are generally closed or redacted for a further 15 years,” she said.
The Context of 1995
The year 1995 was marked by significant global and local events. Internationally, Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” topped the music charts, Microsoft launched Windows 95, and Nelson Mandela presented the Rugby World Cup trophy to South Africa’s Springboks. In the Northern Territory, discussions centered on the crocodile farming industry and tourism strategies for Nitmiluk National Park, Adelaide River wetlands, and the Mary River National Park.
Domestically, the Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party government, led by Shane Stone following Marshall Perron’s retirement, enacted laws permitting poker machines in community sporting clubs. This development followed a wider gambling study commissioned by the NT Racing and Gaming Authority (NTRGA), which found that by the end of 1997, 530 poker machines had been installed in 31 community clubs. Nearly 60% of these venues reported the machines as a “significant” contributor to their gross profits in 1998.
Financial Implications and Government Strategy
The unsealed documents reveal that the cabinet initially approved $1.9 million for the purchase and installation of poker machines at community venues, with an additional $3.6 million projected for machine and maintenance costs the following year. The government anticipated a return on its investment.
“Treasury’s broad estimates are that government’s net position, after development costs, will be at least budget neutral in the startup years 1995/96 and 1996/97, with a net revenue gain starting at $5-6m per year from 1997/98,” a Treasury submission to cabinet stated.
The Department of Health supported the policy, suggesting that Aboriginal communities without liquor licenses should consider changes to benefit from the machines. The Gaming Machine Act 1995, passed later that year, restricted poker machine applications to clubs with liquor licenses, with Darwin’s Nightcliff Sports Club becoming the first venue to operate pokies on January 1, 1996.
To mitigate the impact on the territory’s two casinos, the government offered a rebate from club pokies winnings. The NTRGA study found that between January 1996 and December 1997, the MGM Grand Darwin and Lasseter’s Hotel Casino in Alice Springs recouped $6.8 million from this rebate, despite not experiencing a decline in pokies profits due to the slow rollout of community machines.
Voluntary Assisted Dying: A Landmark Legislation
In 1995, the Northern Territory made history with its VAD legislation. Chief Minister Marshall Perron resigned from politics on the morning of the second reading of his landmark euthanasia bill, just hours after informing his ministry.
“They were very heady days about the bill,” Mr. Perron recalled. “I had a good relationship with all of my colleagues in parliament [so] I guess there was some disappointment, but then again the resignation of a chief minister opens up all sorts of opportunities.”
The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act, introduced as a private member’s bill, did not require cabinet approval and thus was not included in the NT Archives release. However, the documents include discussions about amendments mandating a third assessment by a psychiatrist, following a terminal illness prognosis by a doctor.
“The present requirement in the act is for the second doctor to certify both the terminal illness and the mental competence of the patient,” attorney-general Steve Hatton told cabinet. “This is considered unnecessarily restrictive as it requires the second doctor to have special medical competence possessed by very few doctors and limits the choice to psychiatrists.”
The amendments were passed in November, but less than a year later, a private member’s bill was introduced and passed by the federal parliament, effectively outlawing the practice in the NT. Mr. Perron noted that subsequent VAD bills introduced nationally do not mandate a mental health assessment by psychiatrists. The Northern Territory remains the only Australian state or territory where VAD is illegal.
As these unsealed documents offer a window into the past, they underscore the complex interplay of policy, economics, and ethics that continues to shape the Northern Territory’s legislative landscape.
