Gambling and its impacts on the NT’s Indigenous communities will be the subject of a free public lecture next week (October 21).
A research fellow from Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) School of Social and Policy Research, at the Institute of Advanced Studies, Matthew Stevens, will present the university’s second free public lecture of the October 2008 series on Tuesday, October 21.
Mr Stevens will present, “Betting on the evidence: The case of gambling-related problems among the Indigenous population of the Northern Territory”.
His lecture will discuss two recent Northern Territory Government reports, The Little Children are Sacred Report and the NTG Intergenerational Report, which have drawn attention to the social impacts of gambling on Indigenous communities in the NT.
“Gambling as an activity is generally grouped along with the consumption of alcohol, drugs and pornography and regarded as intrinsically harmful,” Mr Stevens said.
Data from two recent national surveys of Indigenous people which reported high levels of gambling-related problems were analysed to identify demographic and sociocultural correlates of reported gambling problems for the Indigenous population of the Territory.
“While these reports recommend education and improved access to counselling services, there is little evidence with which to either justify or design gambling-specific policies for the Indigenous population."
Mr Stevens said the results of this analysis constituted a first step in filling the evidence gap in gambling policy for the Indigenous population.
“By identifying the factors associated with reported gambling problems, the analysis will provide a descriptive base from which the implications for informed policy development will be discussed,” he said.
Entry to all lectures in the CDU series is free. The lecture will start at 6pm at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Light refreshments will be served afterwards, concluding at 8pm.
Media are welcome. For more information go to: www.cdu.edu.au.