Following anonymous reports of the Albanese Government’s alleged plans to opt for imposing a cap on gambling ads as opposed to a full ban, government officials reached out to anti-gambling advocates and invited them to a Friday briefing on the reforms. However, permission to attend was only offered under the condition that organisations sign lengthy non-disclosure agreements that would reportedly prevent them from discussing information regarding the reforms publicly. Meanwhile, a betting scandal threatens to deregister the coach of the North Sydney Bears rugby team.
Chief Advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform Tim Costello spoke with ABC Radio on the matter and said alliance members were worried about the NDA preventing them from speaking. He further stressed that in all his years of advocating for gambling reform, he had never been asked to sign NDAs until now.
Mr Costello also questioned the necessity of such agreements as the reforms were already made public via anonymous reports after the latest consultations between the government and stakeholders, who had also signed NDAs, took place. An emphasis was also placed on just how few consultations between anti-gambling organisations and the government have been held in comparison to meetings involving broadcasters, gambling companies, and representatives of sports organisations.
As reported by the Guardian, Samantha Thomas, Professor of Public Health at Deakin University, stated that she would not agree to sign an NDA if she were invited to the briefing. Professor Thomas also said the following:
“What if we went into a meeting and saw that the policy would have a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of young people? How could we then say to children: ‘I’m sorry we can’t speak up for you because we signed an NDA.’”
In a post on social media platform X, she further criticised the NDAs, deeming them “ridiculous secret agreements.”
North Sydney Bears’ Coach in Hot Water Over Alleged Betting Misconduct
Pat Weisner, coach of the North Sydney Bears, is set to appear before court over sports betting accusations. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the case is centred around an alleged multi-wager involving two NSW Cup games, the first being a match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canberra Raiders, while the second one saw the Sydney Roosters face the Blacktown Workers. Another leg in the multi-bet involved the NRL Women’s League.
David Trodden, CEO of the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), confirmed that a code of conduct breach has been issued to a registered person over potential violations of NRL and the NSWRL rules.
Although the alleged bet never went through since gambling operator Tabcorp detected something was amiss and swiftly rejected the wager, the NSWRL’s code of conduct dictates that any involvement in gambling on NSW Cup matches and other competitions involving the NRL or NSWRL is subject to scrutiny. If misconduct is proven, the guilty party must face punishment. In the case of Mr Weisner, this could mean being deregistered.
Mr Weisner is yet to address the matter publicly, but his lawyer, Paul McGirr, told the Sydney Morning Herald that he is planning on pleading not guilty.
This is the second betting scandal that made headlines in Australia since the start of August. Last week, two men appeared before a Melbourne court for charges surrounding gambling with insider information on the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Australian of the Year awards. According to the Guardian, the case involves Dean Young, who used to hold the position of project coordinator at Australia Post, and James Dawkins, who federal police accused of having placed bets based on insider information provided by Mr Young.
As Mr Young had access to stamps that revealed the winners prior to the results being made public, Mr Dawkins was able to place dozens of successful bets and raked in a total of AU$13,302 in winnings. Both individuals pleaded guilty, but based on discussions between their lawyers and the prosecution, neither is set to face jail time.
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Daniel Williams
