Gambling reform advocates up pressure in marginal seats
Dominic Giannini |
Gambling harm advocates are ramping up pressure on major parties in marginal seats as documents reveal a go-slow on government talks.
Paid posts comparing candidate stances on banning ads have targeted three key electorates: Gilmore in NSW, Brisbane in Queensland and Deakin in Victoria.
At least 20,000 voters in each seat have been reached ahead of the May 3 election, the Alliance for Gambling Reform says.
Labor has no public policy but has previously floated bans on gambling ads during live sports and hourly caps outside that, alongside a social media crackdown.
The coalition has proposed banning gambling ads during sports broadcasts, including an hour either side of the games.
The Greens support a full ban in line with the recommendations from a landmark inquiry into gambling harms chaired by a late Labor MP.
The anti-gambling alliance is ramping up spending in the Greens-held seat of Brisbane, which Labor and the Liberals are trying to win, as well as in the Liberal-held north Queensland seat of Leichhardt.
The group has also targeted the Liberal-held regional seat of Wannon in Victoria.
It’s a relatively modest campaign, with the alliance spending just under $4200 on Facebook advertising in the month to April 25, according to publicly available data.
“We are conscious there are a number of MPs in the major parties that have gone beyond the policies of the party,” the alliance’s chief executive Martin Thomas told AAP.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland delayed releasing gambling reforms in late 2024, saying further consultations were needed.
Documents produced for the Senate show months of lobbying from wagering companies in the lead-up to the draft policy being shelved.
A freedom of information request suggests a go-slow in the months afterwards, with no consultation reports prepared by the department since a 50-page summary in mid-September.
Consultation summaries were prepared for cabinet in July and October 2023 and in January and September 2024, according to a schedule of policy documents released to AAP.
Outside data calculations and impact analysis in November 2024, nothing else was prepared for the minister by her department through to February, which was the time frame of the freedom of information request.
The government took seriously its responsibility to protect Australians from the harms of online gambling, Ms Rowland told AAP.
She pointed to various actions including introducing a self-exclusion register and banning credit cards.
There were private concerns within Labor ranks about sporting codes and commercial TVs running a negative campaign against the government if it went too hard on sports gambling ads, which would impact their revenues.
Labor’s inaction drew scorn from independent MPs, who accused the government of kowtowing to vested interests.
The prime minister was putting gambling profits ahead of the wellbeing of people, especially young people, crossbench senator David Pocock told AAP.
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