While nothing official has yet been introduced into parliament, the shape of the Albanese government’s proposed partial ban on gambling advertising is beginning to emerge, with many saying it doesn’t go far enough.
Initially the government was demanding stakeholders sign non-disclosure agreements before anyone could see what was on the table. After this ridiculous idea was abandoned, we learned that under the latest proposal, gambling ads would be banned during children’s programming and live sports broadcasts, and limited to two spots per hour during other shows, but none of this will kick in until late 2026.
Gambling logos will still be allowed on jerseys and in sports stadiums. Print ads will be entirely exempt. A ban on social media and internet ads would apply from mid-2025.
Labor’s latest proposal is clearly better than nothing, but it’s a long way from the complete ban across all media and at all times championed by their own late MP Peta Murphy, who led a parliamentary inquiry into the issue even while she was suffering from cancer.
Bill Shorten has suggested TV revenue will suffer terribly if a complete ban is enacted. The relevant minister, Michelle Rowland, says Labor are doing far more than the LNP ever did. Albo says he wants to avoid ‘unintended consequences’. All well and good, maybe, but of little use to the ‘impressionable and vulnerable’ national audience that Ms Murphy was determined to protect.
Just ban it
Without waiting for Labor, independent senator and rugby legend David Pocock rose in the Senate last week to call for a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising for online gambling.
He cited evidence which shows 75 per cent of young people and children now think that ‘gambling is just a normal part of enjoying sport; it’s what you do.’ Senator Pocock pointed out that Australians are ‘the biggest losers in the world’ when it comes to gambling losses, per capita.
While he was heartened when Labor said they were getting serious about the problem, he said it had since become obvious that the government lacked the courage for a total ban, instead ‘parroting lines’ from the gambling industry.
David Pocock said no one was proposing to ban gambling, it was about dealing with saturation advertising for gambling, particularly on sport.
The Liberals’ senator Sarah Henderson then made a long speech about how the coalition was determined to stop all this evil gambling advertising, but didn’t vote for Pocock’s motion.
Labor’s senator Raff Ciccone spoke about family members impacted by problem gambling, noting Australians were losing $25 billion each year on gambling, before saying Labor’s response was a work in progress. He voted against Pocock’s motion.
The Greens’ senator Sarah Hanson-Young and senator Jacqui Lambie both voted for David Pocock’s proposal, and didn’t hold back on their language.
Senator Hanson-Young said she agreed with former PM John Howard on two things – guns and gambling.
‘If you want to hear more weasel words and excuses from both the government and the opposition about why they can’t make the hard call and have the guts to stop advertising, you just have to think about the amount of lobbying that the Labor Party and the Liberal Party have had from the gambling industry over the years, the dinners and donations,’ she said.
‘The Labor Party is addicted to gambling. The Liberal and Labor parties are addicted to gambling donations. They are addicted to the revenue that is sucked out of the pockets of vulnerable people.’
Jacqui Lambie paid tribute to Peta Murphy, saying she was ‘an extraordinary leader who worked through her illness because she wanted to make real change and protect our kids. When the report came out, I think there was real hope that her sacrifice wouldn’t be for nothing, but sadly the closer we get to an election the less courage is on display in Canberra.
‘I say to the government and to the free-to-air channels: this money is absolutely filthy, dirty, disgusting and disgraceful money and you should be ashamed of yourselves. You are absolutely unconscionable today.’
Senator Pocock’s motion eventually went down 24:15.
Peta’s legacy, Murphy’s Law?
Over in the green chamber, independent Zoe Daniel put the PM on the spot when she asked if Anthony Albanese would reconsider his position and honour Peta’s Murphy’s legacy by banning all gambling ads?
Albo then spent 400 words not answering this question, but instead talked about other great things his government had done.
Seeing the clock counting down, he ended by saying, ‘I note some people like John Howard are entering this debate. If only he had been in a position to have some influence over public policy over this time! But the entire time that he occupied my seat, he did absolutely nothing about any of these issues.’
And so it came down to that, again, being a bit better than the utterly useless Liberal Party. Is that the best Australians can hope for?
Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning film-maker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
