Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Collusion from the chair there! I too recognise the contribution that the Independents, particularly the member for Clark, have made on this for a very long time, since 2009 or 2010. I rise to speak on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2023, a bill that demonstrates the Albanese government's commitment to protecting vulnerable Australians from online gambling harms and that will also provide the Minister for Communications with the power to prohibit additional credit-related products as they emerge, as a way of futureproofing the legislation. The introduction of the bill implements recommendations from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services from November 2021. The bill expands the Australian Communications and Media Authority's powers to ensure strong and effective enforcement of the new and existing civil penalty provisions under the act.

Since coming to government, we've prioritised addressing the harm caused by online gambling, and I'm pleased that we are taking the next step by introducing this legislation to ban the use of credit cards. These new laws will make it illegal for an online gambling company to accept credit card online. Credit cards were banned for gambling in hotels, clubs, casinos and TAB outlets by state and territory governments in the early noughties, but currently these cards can still be used for online gambling. At the moment people not able to use a credit card at the betting counter at a TAB outlet or a pub can still sit at the same outlet and gamble on their phone on a betting app using a credit card, so these proposed laws will bring online gambling into line with the rest of the gambling industry with that basic premise of not gambling with money that you do not have.

I'm pleased to say the bill also seeks to ban the use of credit related products as well as digital currencies for online wagering. Digital currencies such as cryptocurrency are also prohibited by the bill and it will prevent people purchasing cryptocurrency with a credit card and then using the cryptocurrency to gamble. The bill also provides the responsible minister with the power to prescribe other credit related payment methods that come into the market as a way of future-proofing the legislation, so these new laws will help strengthen consumer protections. Using a credit card for gambling can very quickly lead some consumers into that serious, horrific debt trap, a debt cycle that can be extremely difficult to break and extremely harmful for families and for individuals. Online gambling is such a fast-growing form of gambling, so it's crucial that this loophole is finally closed.

The bill before the chamber will prohibit the use of credit cards, credit related products and digital currency as payment methods for interactive wagering services. It will create a new criminal offence and a civil penalty provision related to the ban and provide the ACMA with enhanced powers to enforce the ban and existing offences under the act.

In 2020, the Australian Banking Association commissioned a survey that showed 81 per cent of respondents were in favour of restrictions on using credit cards for gambling. Fifty-four per cent of respondents stated that their use should be banned altogether. I understand that the data collected in January 2023 by the ABA from the four major banks as well as Bendigo Bank and Adelaide Bank indicate that more than 775,000 debit and credit cards have had gambling blocks placed upon them by bank customers—775,000! This government is serious about protecting vulnerable Australians from the harm that we know online gambling can cause. Any platform breaching the new rules will face penalties of up to $234,750 for any breach of the new provisions. Industry and consumers will be provided with a six-month transition period from the date of royal assent to change their business and betting behaviours respectively.

Since coming to government last year, we've prioritised work to reduce the harm caused by online gambling, including through implementing the final measures under the national consumer protection framework. This includes the introduction of monthly activity statements outlining wins and losses—something that I appreciate—new evidence based taglines to replace 'gamble responsibly' that go to the heart of the damage that will flow, national consistent training for staff working in online gambling companies and BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register which allows consumers to exclude themselves from all Australian licensed wagering services from three months up to a lifetime. And just last month, mandatory customer pre-verification was introduced, which means that Australians registering for an online wagering account now have to have their age and identity verified by an operator before they can place a bet. I can tell you, as the father of an 18-year-old, I particularly appreciate this. As someone who watches sport and sees gambling ads every single time there's a break in the sport, in the rugby league particularly, I commend this initiative.

I should also note that this week is Gambling Harm Awareness Week in some states of Australia and in the ACT. In Queensland it was held back in July. Gambling Harm Awareness Week is where people are encouraged to talk about the harms associated with gambling and the effects they can have on communities, on families, on friends, on workplaces and on individuals. Gambling, like any other addiction, has very significant negative consequences. Gambling harm is not only about losing money or financial problems. Gambling harm can also include health problems, including emotional, psychological distress or physical issues; issues with relationships with family or friends; problems with work or study; cultural problems; and obviously the all-too-common criminal activity that flows from gambling issues. This year's theme continues to be Talk. Share. Support.

Legislating a ban on the use of credit cards for online gambling will help to protect vulnerable Australians and their loved ones. The risk with credit gambling is that it facilitates people losing money that they do not have. People can lose everything they own to online gambling businesses and then go further into debt through credit gambling. Last year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that more than one in 10 Australians have reported participating in online gambling at some stage in the six months prior, and that figure was up from eight per cent in 2020. The Australian Institute of Family Studies released their most recent research into gambling participation and harm in Australia. That study, as a snapshot, shows that at least 73 per cent of Australian adults gambled at least once in the past 12 months and 38 per cent—nearly two in five Australians—were gambling weekly.

Digital technology means that people are able to gamble at any time. Almost half of Australian adults reported betting on sports or racing in the past year. Sports betters gambled, on average, on 2.4 different sports, with AFL being the most common in Australia at 42 per cent, followed by Rugby League at 32 per cent and football, or soccer, at 23 per cent. Most sports and race betting was conducted online, with 42 per cent of people using their smartphones and 22 per cent using a computer. Participants who bet online had an average of two accounts and 19 per cent of them had three or more accounts.

Online gambling has evolved so swiftly that research, policy, regulation and governments have not been able to keep up to prevent the exponential growth in gambling and gambling harm. The lack of regulatory measures to prevent these developments is harming not only adults but, all too often, families and children. We know that people experiencing problem gambling are four times more likely to use credit to gamble than those who are at low risk. According to the same survey, men gambled more often, spent more money and were more likely to be at risk of harm.

This legislation is also in line with community views on gambling. Most Australians expressed concern about the availability of gambling and its impacts on our community, believing—to quote from the report—that there are 'too many opportunities for gambling nowadays' and that gambling is 'dangerous for family life' and 'should be discouraged'. In June of this year, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs released the recommendations from its inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing harm. I thank the member for Dunkley, Peta Murphy, for chairing that inquiry. The government is considering all 30 recommendations from this inquiry and will continue to work with stakeholders to implement further actions to further protect Australians from gambling. I commend this legislation to the House.

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