Australia’s most prominent anti-gambling campaigner on hope, politics and the moments that changed him
Tim Costello looks out from the dunes on Frankston beach, Victoria. ‘I can talk to both sides of politics. I have probably had as much influence as I might have had if I was in there.’ Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian
He grabs his hat, and we take off. As we’re out of the gate I mention what a nice spot it is, right on the beach, a small canal behind. “My first client was a sex worker,” he says. “She walked in, she said, ‘Can you represent me?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ When’s the case on?’ I was reaching for my diary and she looked at a watch, ‘In 10 minutes.’”
She had never even had a traffic fine, but she had stolen $60,000 from her employer after developing an addiction to poker machines. This was a watershed moment for Costello – pokies had just been introduced in Victoria. There were no protections or consumer warnings, and very little understanding of how addictive they were.
He says there are occasions, sometimes, when he is speaking publicly, or moments where he is with his family, when out of nowhere he will start to cry.
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