BETTING IN VICTORIA

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29051, 13 November 1959, Page 5

BETTING IN VICTORIA

Defeat Of Bill Likely (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) MELBOURNE, November 12. The Victorian Government’s bill to legalise off-course betting on the lines of the New Zealand T.A.B. scheme, would be defeated in the Legislative Council, the Melbourne “Sun” said today. A bill for stiffer penalties for Illegal betting might also be defeated or be radically amended, the “Sun” said. The State Premier (Mr Henry Bolte) acknowledged that the offcourse betting bill would* be defeated yesterday after the country party leader-, Sir Herbert Hyland, had said his party would oppose the measure. Sir Herbert Hyland said in the Legislative Assembly: . “There is only one thing to do with a rotten egg, that is to throw it out, and we are endeavouring to throw this out.” He suggested that the bill should be deferred until the next session, or the next session of Parliament, to see if something could be introduced to satisfy those wanting off-course betting. With the Liberal Leader of the Legislative Council (Sir Arthur Warner) leaving on Sunday for overseas, the Government will be two votes short of a majority over the combined Labour (nine) and Country Party (eight) votes in the Upper House. Mr Bolte said in the Assembly: "Apparently there are a lot of people with vested interests who are concerned with preserving the present betting system. But it is very hard to toss a great colossus. “This is one case that you cannot fight, because you don’t know who you are fighting,” he said. Outside the assembly, Mr Bolte said that the Government had no intention of deferring the bill until the next session. He said: “We intend to allow the bill to take its normal course through Parliament. The outcome wall be left to the will of the Parliament” The bill passed through all stages in w the Legislative Assembly yesterday. The bill was introduced into the Legislative Council last evening and read a first time. The second reading is set down for next Tuesday.