Upper house pushing Labor on ‘secret’ gambling ads plan
Dominic Giannini |
The federal government is about to be forced to release a draft response to a landmark gambling reform report, which has been left untouched for more than two years.
Communications Minister Anika Wells, who picked up the portfolio after Labor’s May 3 election win, has flagged upcoming changes to gambling advertising.
Her first meeting outside of department briefings was with Rod Glover, the husband of late Labor MP Peta Murphy, who championed a ban on gambling ads.
A draft response by the communications department to the “you win some, you lose more” report handed down by a bipartisan parliamentary committee was prepared for the previous minister in November 2024.
But the department refused to release the 32-page document under freedom of information laws.
The Murphy report’s key recommendation was to phase out gambling advertising on television and online, which received unanimous support from Labor, coalition and crossbench MPs on the committee.
Labor’s draft policy, which was never formally released but briefed to stakeholders in mid-2024, included banning betting ads during, before and after live sports broadcasts and limiting them to two an hour outside of that parameter.
Independent senator David Pocock is pushing to have the draft recommendations and ministerial briefings released under a Senate order for the production of documents, after freedom of information requests were similarly rejected.
The Liberals and the Greens have given their support, meaning his order is set to pass the Senate on Wednesday, giving Labor until the end of the month to comply or explain why they will continue to keep the documents secret.
A third order requests correspondence between the prime minister and gambling sector representatives and lobbying efforts from sporting codes after he intervened to shelve any action before the election.
Labor’s inaction was “one of the biggest failures of the last parliament and a wrong I hope we can right this time”, Senator Pocock told AAP.
Reform advocates are keen to find a middle ground, arguing the longer the status quo goes on, the more people are being hurt as there are few restrictions on gambling advertising.
While stakeholders are pushing for a blanket ban, there is an openness to compromise on restricting when betting ads can be broadcast on live TV.
They’re also pushing hard for a complete advertising ban on social media and on inducements, which is when gambling companies entice people to bet more by offering incentives such as bonus bets.
But the gambling lobby is strongly against a blanket social media ban, instead saying technology could be used to avoid targeting children.
The sector is similarly opposed to stopping inducements.
There is a willingness to discuss stopping broad inducement advertising, but gambling companies want to retain the right to push advertising to people signed up to their platforms.
The Murphy review recommended that the government immediately prohibit online gambling inducements and their advertising.
Commercial broadcasters and sports codes argued they needed advertising revenue to stay viable, while gambling companies warned a blanket ban would push Australians into using illegal overseas wagering sites.
The AFL and NRL receive tens of millions of dollars a year as a cut from gambling agencies.
Some advocates are hopeful there will be an announcement on the next steps before the end of the year, with the federal government yet to respond to the landmark report 25 months after it was handed down.
National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
AAP
