Andrew Wilkie (Clark, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That so much of the standing and sessional orders be suspended as would prevent:

(1) private Members' business order of the day No. 32 relating to the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ban on Gambling Advertisements) Bill 2024 being called on immediately;

(2) debate on the second reading of the bill continuing for a period of no longer than one hour, with the time for each speech limited to 10 minutes;

(3) questions then being immediately put on any amendments moved to the motion for the second reading and on the second reading of the bill;

(4) if required, a consideration in detail stage of the bill, with any detail amendments to be moved together, with:

(a) one question to be put on all government amendments;

(b) one question to be put on all opposition amendments;

(c) separate questions then to be put on any sets of amendments moved by crossbench Members; and

(d) one question to be put that the bill [as amended] be agreed to;

(5) when the bill has been agreed to, the question being put immediately on the third reading of the bill; and

(6) any variation to this arrangement being made only on a motion moved by the Member for Clark or the Member for Mayo.

The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ban on Gambling Advertisements) Bill 2024 introduced to the House on Monday amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to ban advertising of a licensed, interactive wagering service—that is, a gambling service. This will prohibit television, print, radio and online advertising of interactive gambling services such as telephone and online gambling.

There is a real urgency to deal with this bill today because the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, chaired by the late Peta Murphy, released its report You win some, you lose more:online gambling and its impacts on those experiencinggambling harm almost exactly one year ago. The bipartisan report included 31 important recommendations including banning gambling advertising. With it being a year since that very important report was released, the government is still yet to even formally respond to the recommendations, let alone implement any of the recommendations. This is despite the fact that there is such widespread concern, even outrage, in the community about the incessant advertising of gambling services, in particular, before and after high-profile sporting events on the weekends or at night when children are watching.

The harm caused by gambling addiction cannot be overstated. It causes poverty, loss of jobs, relationship breakdowns, homelessness, ill-health and even suicide. A report in Victoria even found that gambling addiction is the second most prevalent motivation for crime in that state. This is no small matter. Hence, there is an urgent need to deal with this. Australians lose more than $25 billion per year to gambling, making it the highest per capita spend by the people in any nation in the world.

Almost half of Australian adults who do gamble are at risk of or are already experiencing gambling harm according to research conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Online and sports betting has become especially problematic. It's very telling that the Australian Communications and Media Authority reports that more than a million advertisements bombarded Australians between 2022 and 2023 alone. No wonder we're all sick of the ads. Roy Morgan Research shows that the number of people betting on sports has more doubled in the last five years. It has become a real issue. The Australian Institute of Family Studies found that the link between gambling advertising is not only strong but strongest amongst our young people. One in five young women and one in seven young men began gambling because of an advertisement. It also found that 40 per cent of those already at risk of gambling related harm gamble impulsively after seeing or hearing promotional material. Recent polling by Roy Morgan shows that gambling addicts make up 20 per cent of some sports betting companies' entire company base.

There is an urgent need to deal with this. This is what the community is calling out for. This would be us responding to a genuine and very significant community concern, so I ask that we deal with this matter urgently. I commend the member for Mayo for bringing the bill to the House on Monday. It's the second time the member for Mayo has done that and the second time I have seconded it. I'll end there because I would like to allow five minutes for a contribution from an opposition member.

See this speech in context