According to anonymous sources that have reached out to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the upcoming cabinet meeting on Monday will not cover Labour’s rumoured gambling reforms due to internal disagreements.
Last week saw the emergence of rumours that as a result of alleged consultations with industry stakeholders, the Albanese Government is planning to limit TV ads to two per hour until 10 pm, prohibit gambling adverts an hour before and after live sports events, and ban the promotion of gambling during children’s programmes. Only online adverts will be made completely illegal. The delay is attributed to some Labour MPs not finding the said proposals to be sufficient, and they are instead calling for gambling ads to be banned completely across all media as it was advised in the “You win some, you lose more” review led by the late Peta Murphy.
The Arguments Against Blanket Bans
Casino Guardian recently reported on how the idea of a complete ban has also been the subject of criticism. Kai Cantwell, CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia, has spoken with ABC Radio on how such a ban could push Australian consumers to the offshore gambling market, which would put them in danger due to illegal gambling operators’ lack of consumer protections.
Another major concern has to do with free-to-air media and how prohibiting betting ads would make it difficult for Australian broadcasters to continue operating. Cabinet Minister Bill Shorten spoke about this in detail earlier this week on ABC’s Q+A programme. He stressed public interest journalism would be harmed if it lost the revenue from gambling ads as it was already struggling due to online competition.
Mr Shorten also expressed scepticism of the effectiveness of a complete ban, and as reported by the ABC, he continued speaking in favour of the partial measures on Wednesday: “I don’t make the good the enemy of the perfect. But some of the advocates are saying somehow if we don’t do exactly what they want that somehow, you’re not doing anything at all. And that’s just rubbish.”
Victoria’s Gaming Minister Supports a Comprehensive Ban
Advocates for the proposals in the Murphy Report have disagreed with the proponents of a compromised approach. Independent Senator for the ACT David Pocock recently told ABC Radio that in jurisdictions with stringent rules, illegal gambling did not see a spike. He also believes partial measures were ineffective and that another solution could be used to solve Australian media’s struggles.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young expressed similar sentiments. In a media release published yesterday on the Greens’ website, she called Bill Shorten’s claims a “lie” and stressed public interest journalism could be supported “without sucking the life and happiness out of Australian families, forcing gambling addicts to pay the price.”
Melissa Horne, Victoria’s gaming minister, has also come forward to express her support for a complete prohibition of gambling ads. As reported by The Guardian, she described a potential failure to implement all of the recommendations in the Murphy Report as “nothing short of disgraceful.”
“Murphy was one of my oldest, dearest friends,” said Ms Horne, and explained how crucial Ms Murphy’s work on the reforms in the “You lose some, you lose more” inquiry was.
The normalisation of gambling among children was what she deemed to be “the biggest irritant,” and this issue has been a primary concern for parents in Australia. She further stressed that gambling companies were especially predatory in this regard.
- Author
Daniel Williams
