Stephen Jones (Whitlam, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Denison for his contribution. I just want to acknowledge at the outset his long-held and deeply held views on this issue, most of which I share. We have over many, many years worked cooperatively in the area of gaming and particularly gaming advertising. I've just received the amendment. My initial advice is that it may be otiose because it's already covered for that, so I've informed the member for Denison that the government won't be supporting this amendment. But I do give the commitment that, in the committee in the other place, this measure may be considered. Either through his own good graces or at the government's initiative, we'll ensure that this matter is considered upstairs.

I just want to explain why. The amendment goes to gaming or gaming-like provisions inside games. It's important to understand that this bill itself and this provision within this bill are not regulating the operation of games and gaming. It's a tax bill which provides a tax incentive in certain circumstances. The majority of the work for dealing with the concerns that the member for Denison raised and which, frankly, I share—it's not a government position, but I share those concerns around gambling-like initiatives included in children's games. But this is a bill about tax and tax treatment of games development.

I want to be very clear that, under the bill being moved forward by the government, a game is not eligible for the offset if it is a gambling service within the meaning of the Interactive Gambling Act or it substantially comprises gambling or gambling-like practices. That includes games that substantially comprise, have reliance on or give prominence to certain types of loot boxes—those that can be purchased directly or indirectly with real currency and that allow, within the game, for those items to be transferred or cashed out for real currency. So, if that is the member for Denison's concern, it is dealt with under the provision. Those sorts of games would be excluded from the tax offset. If I've misconstrued the member for Denison's concern, I'm offering a pathway to have that issue dealt with in more detail at the committee stage in the other place. For those reasons, we won't be supporting the amendment at this stage.

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