As more horses risk life and limb at The Melbourne Cup today, animal lovers are gathering at Flemington Racecourse and across the country to stand up for the victims of what has been described as an outdated and exploitative horseracing spectacle.

Last week, government and opposition found themselves singing from the same song sheet in parliament on a range of issues, from the NDIS to ASIO, and big tech to gambling advertising. 

Have you noticed how often Anthony Albanese and his ministers talk about ‘getting the balance right’? It has become a mantra used repeatedly to explain why reforms they are proposing go only a fraction of the way to solving serious problems.

With parliament still on winter break, last week's most explosive revelations in Canberra came from the Senate committee examining the government's proposed gambling reforms.

Cate Faehrmann MLC says the NSW government has knocked any hope of gambling reform on the head in yesterday’s state budget, with tax concessions to clubs with poker machines totalling $1.252 billion, while revenue from taxes on poker machine losses have been revised upward by a whopping $638.2 million over the forward estimates.

In the kind of move that Labor once derided in their opponents, the government used the cover of the federal budget – while most journalists were literally locked up – to deliver its response to the late Peta Murphy's report into online gambling, 'You Win Some, You Lose More'.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese finally announced some gambling advertising reform this week, tucked into the end of a speech to the National Press Club with a principal focus on Australia's response to the fallout from the war in Iran, the day after he appeared on national television networks telling Australians not to panic.

Is it better to do something difficult and risk falling on your face, go backwards or do nothing at all? That’s a question for everyone, including our political leaders.

Market researcher Roy Morgan reports that there are over 620,000 ‘problem gamblers’ in Australia – and the majority of those are aged under 35.

Just over a year since its last state election, Tasmania is about to return to the polls, as the beautiful but troubled island state sinks further into debt and dysfunction.