Australia’s Green Party may back the Coalition’s bill aimed at imposing further limits on gambling advertising in the country – a move that would represent another potential partnership for the duo after blocking the housing bill of the Labour Party earlier this week.
The Coalition Party has announced plans to initiate a parliamentary inquiry into gambling-related harm in the country that is set to report back on the matter. Australian Greens, however, have urged the Labour Party to move faster, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young saying that her party would support any bill addressing the issue. She further noted that the Government is now expected to act on unveiling stronger laws with immediate effect and stop taking political donations from gambling sponsors.
After the commitment made by the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in his reply to the Government’s budget to suspending gambling adverts during live sports, the Coalition introduced a private senator’s piece of legislation seeking to do so. And that was the right thing to do, according to Senator Sarah Henderson, who believes gambling adverts must be restricted an hour before in after live matches.
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the Coalition, along with the Greens Party and a number of independent members of parliament have called for local lawmakers to take immediate action on imposing some limits on gambling adverts to tackle potential negative effects on consumers. They have criticised the Federal Government for not acting quicker in order to unveil the necessary changes. The lower house has already seen private members’ bills introduced by Rebekha Sharkie and Zoe Daniel, while stronger gambling advertising amendments are sought by David Pocock in the Senate.
Greens Criticise the Federal Government for Lack of Action on Stricter Gambling Advertising Rules
For years, the gambling sector in Australia has been blamed for taking advantage of spreading gambling addiction, generating profit on the backs of individuals, families, and even entire communities.
The party of the Australian Greens has long called for a serious overhaul in the country’s gambling advertising rules, not to mention it has criticised the Government for accepting political donations and incentives from companies operating in the gambling market, saying that such enticements could lead to corruption affecting the bills aimed at stopping the further growth of the gambling sector.
If they join efforts, the Coalition and the Greens Party would guarantee a Senate majority that is large enough to pass the proposed piece of legislation, just as the due did earlier this week to put off the Housing Australia Future Fund bill for a few months, until October 2023.
Anti-gambling campaigners have previously shared their concerns about the Coalition Party’s bill, saying that the planned restrictions may result in an exponential growth in the number of adverts aired in other parts of the day, or on other channels. The Coalition bill may be back for debate by the end of the day, as June 22nd is the last parliamentary sitting until August. For the time being, it remains unclear whether the Government may announce plans for limiting gambling-related harm, but according to people familiar with the matter, that was an imminent move to tackle negative consequences for local consumers.
As Casino Guardian already reported, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously shared that he was not a fan of gambling advertising. The Government, however, has shared that it is waiting for the results of an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into online gambling before introducing its own measures to control the issue. According to Australian lawmakers, any reforms implemented in the sector must be based on evidence. The communications minister, Michelle Rowland, however, has acknowledged that the current situation is not good enough.
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Daniel Williams
