General Synod 6—Gambling at Synod

Forgive me the self-indulgence, but I’m pleased to say we finally reached a motion I gave notice of on the first day of Synod on the last day! After a bit of debate, it was passed unanimously.

Here’s my original motion (I don’t have the text of the amendments to hand, but they basically only added a few extra words about telling the pollies what we passed.)

Synod notes the Productivity Commission’s report into gambling which indicates that

1. there are between 80,000 – 160,000 problem gamblers in Australia, along with another 230,000 – 350,000 vulnerable to problem gambling;
2. poker machine users are disproportionately represented among the ranks of Australia’s problem gamblers;
3. 41% of the $11.9 billion that Australians lose on poker machines comes from problem gamblers; and
4. the public benefits and jobs creation, which the registered clubs claim to offer through their gambling profits, are highly debatable.

Therefore Synod endorses efforts being proposed in Australia’s Federal Parliament to reduce the impact and incidence of problem gambling, for example, by the introduction of a compulsory pre-commitment system for poker machine use.

More broadly, Synod calls on all state and territory governments to reduce their reliance on taxation on gambling and asks all political parties to refuse donations from organisations which profit from gambling.

You can read the Productivity Commission’s balanced but incisive report. (I recommend the Overview pdf if you only have limited time.)

I pray the federal and state level of government take notice. If you, like me, have seen the devastating impact of problem gambling on families, why not contact your own local member of parliament and ask for action?

The last day of Synod also saw Sydney get hammered on the finances. They’ve found a way around a fair bit of our refusal to pay some voluntary assessments and it means we’re going to have a big increase in assessments, while everyone else increases only marginally. Doug Marr had the unenviable job of defending us, but I suspect we just have to cop it. You win some, you lose some.

More pleasingly, I think we were all really pleased by the way the motion on Lay and Diaconal Administration of Holy Communion went. Our denomination’s peak Appellate Tribunal’s had issued an Opinion that no General Synod Canon had been passed authorising such practices. Notice of motion about this topic was originally given in a fairly pointed form, indicating a conclusion from this opinion that any such practice was not permissible and urging bishops to uphold the law in this matter.

Another Sydney rep and myself foreshadowed amendments to delete the conclusion and to remove the implication that some bishops were not currently upholding the law. Certainly our Archbishop has always indicated he wants us to act lawfully.

We also suggested adding a reference to a previous Appellate Tribunal Opinion that there was no theological or constitutional barrier against Lay or Diaconal Administration so long as authorised by General Synod Canon.

To give great credit to the mover of the original motion, Leigh Haywood of Bathurst, she took the initiative to organise a ‘huddle’ and agreed to each amendment. Despite having her own clear concerns about the Sydney position in favour of such practices, she showed generosity and understanding. No one wanted a bun fight over whether the Appellate Tribunal’s findings are merely advisory opinions or binding decisions. And by Day 6 of Synod, no one really wanted to debate the substantive theological issues either.

The worst result would have been asking bishops to go on the hunt for illegal worship practices! This would have cut both ways, since there’s a good argument that practices not uncommon in some other dioceses, like prayers for the dead, or reserving the sacrament, or referring to the Holy Table as an Altar, are even more obviously illegal and out of kilter with the 39 Articles.

But the gospel of Jesus works by persuasion. So coercive witch-hunts over church service practices are rarely the best way to go. So in a kinder form, the motion passed, simply noting the Tribunal’s important opinions and encouraging bishops as they uphold the law—removing the implication of dereliction.

Synod had a few testy moments. But overall, people felt this Synod had been conducted in the best spirit for some years. And the cooperative way this motion was handled was a really good example of that.

The hospitality of the Anglicans of the Melbourne Diocese and of the host venue (Melbourne Grammar) was outstanding. I also enjoyed running around the Kings’ Domain and the Botanic Gardens. And the coffee in the different cafés I tried was good. But I still didn’t get to ride a tram, or visit the second-hand bookshops I hoped. And I’ll enjoy being back in my local café, City West in Wollongong, on Monday, God willing!

I’ll have one more post on the songs of Synod, but in terms of reporting on the actual action, that’s it for me.

On a lighter note, here’s the Sydney 1st X1 as selected by one of our youngest representatives. It’s all his work, so don’t blame me! (Sorry to American friends for Aussie cricket references, but you’ve done well if you are still reading this far down on obscure Synod politics!)

1. Doug Marr (a.k.a. Mark Taylor)
2. Glenn Davies (Michael Slater)
3. Bruce Ballantine-Jones (David Boon)
4. Nigel Fortescue (‘Pup’ Clarke)
5. Peter Jensen (Steve Waugh)
6. Phillip Griffin (Ricky Ponting)
7. Rob Wicks (Rod Marsh)
8. Mark Thompson (Shane Warne)
9. Peter Bolt (Merv Hughes)
10. Robert Tong (Brad Hogg – remember he bowled chinaman!)
11. Laurie Scandrett (Dennis Lillee)
12. Barry Newman (Richie Benaud)

Honourable mentions to Neil Cameron (the West Indian, Malcolm Marshall, who used to be known as ‘whispering death’) and the country kid, David Mulready (a.k.a. Glenn McGrath)!

In the interests of gender balance, I insisted he also picked a netball team—here it is:

• Goal Keeper – Narelle Jarrett
• Goal Defence – Lesley Ramsey
• Wing Defence – Jenny Flower
• Centre – Wendy Colquhoun
• Wing Attack – Allison Street
• Goal Attack – Gillian Davidson
• Goal Shooter – Karin Sowada

A Reserve – Caitlin Hurley (still in Singapore at the Youth Olympics)

Didn’t get picked? Don’t worry, neither did I!