00:00Every day, Australians are exposed to a relentless stream of gambling ads.
00:06The gambling industry does not spend hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising every
00:11year because it has no effect.
00:14They do it because it works.
00:17Studies show a clear and consistent link between gambling ads and gambling activity and consequently
00:22gambling harm.
00:24Now, not all gambling is harmful.
00:27It's a legal activity that many Australians enjoy safely.
00:31And banning gambling advertising does not mean banning gambling.
00:37This is not about those who enjoy having a flutter now and then, perhaps on the grand
00:41final or even the Eurovision winner, or even at the Datorang races and under other wonderful
00:46country carnivals.
00:47I grew up as a kid on a racetrack.
00:50My grandfather owned and trained racehorses.
00:52Back then, though, there were no inducements or advertisements flooding our screens.
00:59It was impossible to lose thousands of dollars in a few taps of a smartphone without leaving
01:04home or without even talking to another human being.
01:07Online gambling is a completely different beast.
01:12And we know that, for some Australians, it is incredibly harmful.
01:16From March last year to March this year, we lost $36 billion to gambling.
01:23Our per capita losses are the highest in the world.
01:27In my own home state of Victoria, gambling cost us more than $14 billion in 2023.
01:33And that includes the direct financial impacts as well as the wider costs of things like job
01:39losses, divorce, family violence, police and court processes, and physical and mental health
01:47care.
01:48Because, as the Murphy report laid out in heartbreaking detail, gambling losses have a massive human cost.
01:57Australians experiencing gambling harm are significantly more likely to experience physical and mental
02:02health issues.
02:03Gambling is linked to a fourfold increase in the risk of suicide.
02:10Family violence is three times more likely to occur alongside harmful gambling.
02:18For every person experiencing gambling harm, we know six more are directly affected.
02:24Husbands, wives, children, parents, colleagues, friends and communities all suffer.
02:30However, gambling harm is most certainly a serious, a deeply serious public health issue that has
02:39become normalised through constant exposure.
02:42Gambling ads sell false hopes, easy wins and good times that obscure the very real and significant
02:50damage that gambling addiction can cause.
02:53And that's why the Murphy report recommended a complete ban on gambling ads and inducements.
03:00Again, I want to be clear, this is not about banning gambling.
03:03It's not about telling people what they're allowed to do.
03:07Adults can and will continue to make their own choices.
03:10Make no mistake.
03:12This is about greed.
03:15This is about whether we allow multi-million dollar companies to boost their profits by bombarding
03:22us with ads and inducements for a product that we know and they know causes profound devastation.
03:31It's about the greed of recruiting our children.
03:36This is a most pernicious and massive public health problem.
03:43I acknowledge there are concerns from media organisations and sporting codes about the potential effect
03:48on their financial viability if we were to ban advertising for gambling.
03:53However, these concerns must be balanced against the rights of the community and especially children
03:59to be protected from harm.
04:01Young Australians are growing up associating sport, entertainment and gambling as though they just
04:07naturally belong together.
04:09And, of course, we've heard these arguments before when tobacco companies tried to convince us
04:14that our sporting codes would die out without their advertising and sponsorship,
04:17or when alcohol companies claimed the industry would collapse if we put a small warning about the
04:22dangers of drinking during pregnancy on bottles and cans.
04:26But, you know what, I've got faith in the ability of Australian sports and media to evolve and to adapt
04:34and to have a business model that is not dependent on gambling advertising.
04:41The Murphy Report laid out a comprehensive action plan to address gambling harm,
04:46including the immediate phased introduction of an ad ban.
04:50If the government had acted on that recommendation, the process would be complete.
04:54Online gambling, advertising and sponsorship would already be banned.
04:58Instead, more than three years later, we've been presented with a tepid and, frankly,
05:05insulting imitation of real action.
05:08Because the problem is clear, the expert evidence is unanimous,
05:12the Australian public is screaming for action.
05:16If ever we have needed a social licence to do something important and radical,
05:22then we've got it.
05:25Yet, this parliament has not acted and the government has refused to take up
05:31these recommendations from the Murphy Report in full.
05:34I am concerned about the effect of inducements on individual gamblers.
05:40And I have to wonder, really, about the effect of inducements to political parties who take
05:46political donations from gambling companies.
05:50We have real problems with trusted government in this country and across the world.
05:55And we have to look at an issue such as that.
06:00Despite the Murphy Report's unequivocal conclusion that partial bans do not work,
06:05this bill establishes a complicated maze of half measures and exceptions.
06:09Gambling advertising is banned in some instances, at some times of day,
06:14for some kinds of programs, on some kinds of platforms.
06:18If you want to know whether your children are about to be exposed to gambling ads,
06:22you need to work through a multi-step checklist.
06:25What time of day is it?
06:26Which platform are we on?
06:27Whose account is it logged in?
06:29How many ads have already been shown in the last 59 minutes?
06:33It shouldn't be that difficult.
06:34The answer should simply be no.
06:38One of the most frustrating things about this legislation is the unnecessary complexity
06:43of these advertising restrictions.
06:45And in trying to include so many loopholes, carve-outs and compromises,
06:49the government has created an unfathomably complex regime.
06:53In some cases, these amendments may actually weaken existing protections,
06:58allowing the broadcast of more ads during live sports than would currently be permitted.
07:03I mean, go figure.
07:04It makes the government's approach even more baffling, actually.
07:08It would have been so much easier to just implement a comprehensive ban.
07:14As well as the limited and frankly inadequate reforms to advertising,
07:18this bill makes some other changes to gambling regulation.
07:21And these include additional restrictions on illegal gambling, including new requirements
07:25for financial institutions to prevent related payments and transfers,
07:30improvements to the BetStop legislative framework in line with recommendations from the recent statutory
07:35review and prohibition of online keynote and foreign match lotteries.
07:39Well, these are small, but they are welcome improvements.
07:42But unfortunately, there's a lot more this bill chooses not to do.
07:48Despite the Murphy reports finding that they are a significant incubator of harm,
07:52the bill does not ban inducements.
07:55Bonuses and two-for-one deals might be okay in a supermarket aisle,
07:59but they have no place as a tool to exploit people at risk of gambling harm.
08:04Because let's be clear, these promotions are not intended to keep you winning.
08:09If you're making money from online gambling, you'll get kicked off the platform,
08:12not flown to the Gold Coast.
08:15Gambling companies offer inducements as a calculated investment in the continued suffering
08:20of their most vulnerable customers. Make no mistake about that.
08:26And just last week, we heard extraordinary testimony about the lengths to which gambling companies
08:31will go to, to make sure that people keep losing money.
08:35And like the rest of Australia, I was absolutely gobsmacked by Luke Bateman's evidence about being
08:41offered flights, accommodation, alcohol and even illegal drugs.
08:44But the truly predatory nature of inducements was also illustrated by Russell North,
08:50who described repeatedly being offered inducements after, after closing his accounts.
08:56Now, Russell knew he was in trouble. He took steps to protect himself,
09:01and the gambling companies sought to actively undermine that.
09:06Deputy Speaker, it is unconscionable.
09:10The bill also does not establish a gambling regulator, despite the Murphy report identifying
09:16a glaring need for a national regulatory framework, overseen by a dedicated body with the sole
09:22objective of reducing harm. It reflects the reality that gambling companies operate nationally
09:27and should be regulated nationally. Right now, responsibility is fragmented across multiple
09:32regulators, different resources, powers and enforcement. And they face varying levels of criticism,
09:38some of it scathing. A regulator established for the sole purpose of reducing harm would,
09:43in the words of the Murphy report, put people above profits and public health before commercial
09:48interests. Members of the Crossbench have suggested a number of amendments to the bill, all of them,
09:54seeking to bring it closer to being something that offers real protections from gambling harm.
09:59Consistent with the Murphy report, I will be voting to implement a full ban on advertising,
10:03a full ban on inducements and the establishment of a dedicated national regulator.
10:09And I note it's the crossbench, not the government nor the opposition, that is carrying the torch for
10:13the Murphy report, an inquiry that was grounded in the lived experience of people whose lives were
10:19devastated by this predatory industry practice.
10:24I've also circulated two small reasonable amendments to improve the bill. Firstly, a complete ban on gambling
10:30ads during G-rated television programming. Ratings are designed to help viewers make informed choices
10:35about what they and their families watch. And a G rating indicates a program is suitable for all ages,
10:41including very young children. A G rating is a green light for a family-friendly viewing, and that
10:47shouldn't change when the ad break starts. Secondly, I'm proposing a requirement for gambling companies
10:53to collect and publicly report on harm indicators, including aggregate customer losses, self-exclusion
11:00requests and complaints. It's information they already have, and it would provide a vital evidence
11:05base to help understand whether these reforms are effective in reducing and preventing gambling harm.
11:11And if this bill results in only limited improvement to industry practice, then the data will be even more
11:16important when it comes to reviewing our laws in the years to come.
11:20It's been widely reported that there will be further changes to this bill. In its current form,
11:24the bill is unpassable, so it seems the government will be dragged, kicking and screaming,
11:28to take stronger action to get it through the parliament.
11:32I can't speak to any government amendments at this point because they haven't been circulated.
11:39Deputy Speaker, so often in this place, we're dealing with problems that don't have an obvious solution.
11:45This is not one of those times. The evidence couldn't be clearer. Everyone in Australia except the
11:52gambling companies, and apparently this government knows what needs to be done.
11:57Since this bill was introduced, I have received hundreds of emails from people in my electorate
12:02who are not just disappointed that the government won't commit to a full ban. Deputy Speaker,
12:09they are outraged. Outraged. Now, I've grappled with whether I should support this bill because
12:17it falls so far short of what we know is needed. As a legislator, I ask myself,
12:24when we know what good looks like, then how low are we willing to set the bar?
12:32It's a very important consideration. The Murphy report gave parliament a clear road map,
12:43but this bill has chosen a shortcut. Make no mistake, Australians will pay the price for that.
12:53In the time I've been speaking, Australians have lost more than half a million dollars to gambling.
13:00Just consider that. Acting Deputy Speaker, the clock is ticking. The opportunity is here.
13:08The moment is now. The time for courage is right before us, and I call on every member of this
13:15parliament to do the right thing. Pass a law that fulfils the recommendations of the Murphy report
13:24and do the right thing for the Australian people.
Comments