Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Amity Community Services Inc. CEO Nicola Coalter

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Katie Woolf spoke with Amity Community Services Inc. CEO Nicola Coalter · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that it is Responsible Gambling Awareness Week. It
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  Speaker 1: runs from October five to eleven, and joining me on
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  Speaker 1: the line to tell us a little bit more about
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  Speaker 1: it AMITE Community Services. Well the chief executive Officer, NICOLEA. Coulter,
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you. Good morning Ncady. Here you going, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: really well? How are you?
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  Speaker 2: I'm very well, albeit a little bit hot and human here, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: I know always is in the territory. We're all hoping
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  Speaker 1: for a bit of a storm now. Now, obviously it
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  Speaker 1: is Responsible Gambling Awareness Week. We know that there are
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  Speaker 1: still a lot of people around the nation, and the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory is no exception, who are dealing with a
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  Speaker 1: gambling issue.
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  Speaker 2: Look, Katie, gambling harm cuts across more than just the individual.
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  Speaker 2: It cuts across to family and friends and more broadly,
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  Speaker 2: our whole community experiences the harm from gambling.
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  Speaker 1: And I mean what, I guess you know, what are
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  Speaker 1: some of the concerns that people have got when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to gambling. Yes, it seems very obvious that it
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  Speaker 1: would be a situation where you know, you're involved in
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  Speaker 1: in gambling and you don't sort of know how to
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  Speaker 1: get out of it. But what are some of the
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  Speaker 1: types of issues that people are dealing with.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, Katie, it's a really good question. And I
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  Speaker 2: think at the moment this year, we've all been under
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  Speaker 2: a huge amount of pressure and stress, and when humans
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  Speaker 2: are trying to manage our stress, we often reach out
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  Speaker 2: for coping mechanisms, and as we know, sometimes that those
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  Speaker 2: coping mechanisms are less than helpful. Like gambling. People can
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  Speaker 2: often think about the harms just being financial, but Katie,
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  Speaker 2: they extend so much more than just the financial harms
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  Speaker 2: that people experience because of gambling loss. We start having
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  Speaker 2: arguments within our family, We start missing out on important events, birthdays,
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  Speaker 2: picking kids up from school, We lose track of time, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: and over time and money starts to impact more than
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  Speaker 2: just ourselves.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's that's the whole concern, isn't it.
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  Speaker 2: Then?
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  Speaker 1: Realistically it's no longer just an issue for yourself, but
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  Speaker 1: it becomes an issue that's a real worry for everybody
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  Speaker 1: in your family.
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  Speaker 2: It certainly is. And this year's campaign for US is
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  Speaker 2: asking the question gambling is it worth the risk? And
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  Speaker 2: some of the calls to actions we're asking people to
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  Speaker 2: think about this week, and that's not just the individual
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  Speaker 2: who may be gambling. We're talking about the industry, government
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  Speaker 2: operators out there, people who make different forms of gambling products.
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  Speaker 2: We're asking them all to be responsible, not just the
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  Speaker 2: individual who chooses to gamble, but some of the calls
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  Speaker 2: to action for this week that we're asking people to
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  Speaker 2: really think about us. Spend time connecting with what matters
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  Speaker 2: most to you. Step out of the game and connect
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  Speaker 2: with your family and friends, and if you can reach out.
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  Speaker 1: Well, they're really important things I think for people to
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  Speaker 1: stop and make sure that they do. Nicola, have you
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  Speaker 1: found that there's been an increase or a decrease in
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  Speaker 1: people gambling over the COVID period and over some of
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  Speaker 1: those lockdowns that we saw.
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  Speaker 2: Look internationally, researchers are catching up and there appears to
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  Speaker 2: be a whole range of evidence coming through now that's
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  Speaker 2: suggesting that we're gambling more and different arenas. I was
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  Speaker 2: just reading a story this morning about the job seeker
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  Speaker 2: and job keeper payments and people gambling more. So, again,
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  Speaker 2: if we go back to when we're under stress and
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  Speaker 2: we're reaching out for coping mechanisms, if gambling is one
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  Speaker 2: of our coping mechanisms, chances are we're going to be
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  Speaker 2: overusing it during these times.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, goodness me. And then you know, you think you
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  Speaker 1: just wind up in a more stressful situation. I know
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  Speaker 1: that obviously, Amity believes that, you know, you can really
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  Speaker 1: help people to help themselves, and you do provide the
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  Speaker 1: counseling services to work with people who are affected. Where
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  Speaker 1: can people go to for a little bit more information
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  Speaker 1: about what Amity does and how can they maybe reach
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  Speaker 1: out to you if they do have an issue?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, Katie, it's really easy to find us. We're
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  Speaker 2: just here in Perrap on the Stuart Highway. Anyone's welcome
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  Speaker 2: to walk through our doors. You can check online for
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  Speaker 2: Amity dot org dot au and at any time. We
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  Speaker 2: also support the twenty four hour Gambling Helpline, so people
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  Speaker 2: can in the territory, throughout the territory at any time
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  Speaker 2: can pick up that phone and call the Gambling Helpline.
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  Speaker 2: It's one eight hundred eight five eight eight five eight.
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  Speaker 1: Now, I know that you said with some of the
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  Speaker 1: research that has been done over the COVID period internationally,
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  Speaker 1: there's been a rise in gambling. Do you have any
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  Speaker 1: sort of evidence for the Northern Territory or a sense
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  Speaker 1: of whether there's been an increase in people gambling in
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  Speaker 1: the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I think some of the researchers are currently
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  Speaker 2: looking at some of the stats. But in relation to
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  Speaker 2: that sense, we would usually use this phrase called anecdotal evidence,
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  Speaker 2: so practice evidence. And also a sense that during the
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  Speaker 2: period of lockdown, when lots of people were at home
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  Speaker 2: trying to work, we were more online and there is
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  Speaker 2: this kind of sense from my counseling team that we
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  Speaker 2: had an increase in people reaching out for support during
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  Speaker 2: that time.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that is a good thing that people are reaching
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  Speaker 1: out and they are seeking help. I think, you know,
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  Speaker 1: it's imperative that if you've got an issue, particularly with gambling,
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  Speaker 1: that you do reach out and get that support. You know,
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  Speaker 1: I hopefully do it as well before it becomes a
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  Speaker 1: real issue for you and your whole family.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie. And on that point, people who have someone
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  Speaker 2: in a loved one I'm a concerned other, a family
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  Speaker 2: or friend, and they think they've got need some support
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  Speaker 2: or they think they've got some help, those individuals can
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  Speaker 2: reach out to us as well. We don't just work
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  Speaker 2: with people who are experiencing the problem behavior, we work
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  Speaker 2: with their concerned and loved ones. So their family and
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  Speaker 2: friends can also reach out for some information and support
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  Speaker 2: from all of these services.
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  Speaker 1: Also, Katie, Oh, good on you guys. And I know
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  Speaker 1: that some people, you know, they really do sort of
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  Speaker 1: struggle in silence and they don't know where to go
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  Speaker 1: to get that first bit of help. So I know
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  Speaker 1: Amity does a wonderful job in terms of helping people.
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  Speaker 1: So hopefully even by hearing this interview, if there is
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  Speaker 1: somebody out there who is struggling, it can give them,
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  Speaker 1: you know, that bit of information that they need to
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  Speaker 1: make the changes that they maybe require.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie, I'd say to anyone out there, if you're
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  Speaker 2: thinking that it's about time to start to change some
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  Speaker 2: of your gambling behaviors, please try and reach out. We're
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  Speaker 2: only a phone call away and you are most welcome
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  Speaker 2: to walk in well.
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  Speaker 1: Amity Community Services Chief Executive Officer, Nicola Coulter, we really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time today.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much, Katie. Thank you have a great week,
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  Speaker 2: stay cool if you can.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, thank you. Talk to you again soon. And
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  Speaker 1: as you heard there, there is that twenty four to
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  Speaker 1: seven gambling service in the Northern Territory. There's a twenty
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  Speaker 1: four hour toll free hotline or helpline. It's one eight
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  Speaker 1: hundred eight five eight eight five eight. You can also
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  Speaker 1: email counsel at habit wise h A B I t
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  Speaker 1: wy s c habit wise at Amity, which is a
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  Speaker 1: M I t y dot org dot au, and there
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  Speaker 1: are also a range of help resources at emit Amity
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  Speaker 1: a M I T Y. So really, if you if
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  Speaker 1: you need a bit of help, if you are maybe
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  Speaker 1: thinking to yourself you've you've got a problem and you
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  Speaker 1: weren't sure where to go in the first instance, I
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  Speaker 1: would say get in contact with Amity. You can also
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  Speaker 1: call them on eight nine double four six five six
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  Speaker 1: five and always try to gamble responsibly.