Mr Wilkie said he can no longer guarantee supply and confidence for the government because the prime minister reneged on their deal. ‘‘I will only support motions of no confidence in the event of serious misconduct and not support politically opportunistic motions. I will consider budget measures on their merits,’’ Mr Wilkie said. ‘‘I regard the prime minister to be in breach of the written agreement she signed, leaving me no option but to honour my word and end my current relationship with her government. Ms Gillard earlier played down claims the shift was another broken promise. ‘‘The circumstances of this parliament are clear ... there is not the support in the House of Representatives for the Andrew Wilkie plan,’’ she said.

"Rolling the technology out to every machine now ensures that we will be ready to flick the switch to a best-practice mandatory pre-commitment system, if the trial results support it," Ms Gillard said. "We believe this evidence-based pathway to help problem gamblers and their families will gain the necessary support to pass the current Parliament." The trial's start date means it will not be finished before the next federal election, due at the end of 2013. Ms Gillard said her decision was based on the lack of support in Parliament for mandatory pre-commitment and the advice of the Productivity Commission, which recommended a trial be held before the technology was rolled out across the country. A spokesman for Clubs Australia said the industry was pleased with the outcome but would not be halting its campaign against mandatory pre-commitment until it had considered the details of the new policy.

The government will also move to introduce a $250 daily withdrawal limit from ATMs in gaming venues, excluding casinos, by 1 February, 2013. Mr Wilkie said the government had failed to seize the opportunity for meaningful pokie reforms. ‘‘The government’s explanation that it doesn’t have the numbers is simply wrong,’’ he said. ‘‘The legislation should be debated in the parliament and tested on the floor of the House.’ Families Minister Jenny Macklin told reporters her department’s advice was that Mr Wilkie’s time frame of mandatory pre-commitment by 2014 was not ‘‘technically possible’’.

Yesterday, Mr Wilkie insisted a final deal with the government on poker machine laws was only days away and he had the numbers in parliament to see them pass, AAP reported. Speaking at the launch of the Stop the Loss anti-gambling campaign in Sydney, Mr Wilkie said there were "points of detail" yet to be agreed but a decision was close.



"I will be able to, I believe within days, stand up and tell you what has been agreed to by the prime minister and myself," Mr Wilkie said.



The Tasmanian independent said he remained firm on two points - that the technology be mandatory and that the laws pass both houses of Parliament by May 8 - which the government must deliver on or he will withdraw his support.



Ms Gillard said she was concerned about the damage done to families by poker machines and was committed to tackling it through new laws. with AAP