Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is specifically to the Prime Minister, because the community wants to hear his answer. Prime Minister, I have just given notice of a private member's bill to combat poker machine problem gambling that would implement the Productivity Commission recommendations of $1 maximum bets and mandatory precommitment. Seeing as problem gamblers lose $5 billion annually and suffer terribly to the parasites in the poker machine industry—something you are on the record as being concerned with—will you support the bill or at least allow a debate on it?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just before I call the Prime Minister—

Mr Ewen Jones interjecting—

The member for Herbert will cease interjecting—he interjected right through the question. I call the Prime Minister.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question and I recognise his long interest in this topic. The government recognises that, while most people gamble responsibly, gambling is a major social problem for some Australians. We recognise that the laws governing gambling are of course within the powers of state and territory parliaments who licence premises and poker machines. That is why the Commonwealth has abolished the national gambling regulator and restored control of gaming machine regulation to the states. They have that jurisdiction clearly and plainly.

We are nonetheless very interested in working with industry, state and territory governments and other key stakeholders to ensure that there are implemented practical solutions that will reduce problem gambling.

Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The state governments have shown that they cannot be trusted.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Denison will resume his seat if he cannot state the point of order.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member also for his views on federation, but we are a federation. Mr Speaker, I would invite the Minister for Human Services to elaborate on the government's approach on this topic.

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Prime Minister. I also thank the member for the question directed to the Prime Minister.

I am aware of the member's private member's bill and the two key provisions in that bill which go to mandatory precommitments and to dollar bets. In relation to mandatory precommitments, it was something that we had considered in the past, and we had rejected it. In part, that was because in essence it requires a licence to gamble. We know that the other side is serious about this, as are you, but we are not, because we know that most people indeed do gamble responsibly and do not necessarily need to register themselves to put a couple of dollars in a machine.

In relation to dollar bets, this was considered by the Productivity Commission. The Productivity Commission did find that 99 per cent of poker machines today are not technically capable of introducing dollar bets. Consequently, it would cost $1.5 billion to implement.

I will also just re-emphasise what the Prime Minister said: this is largely governed by state and territory jurisdictions. They licence the machines, they regulate the machines and they are responsible for their operation. We of course take gambling problems very seriously. We put considerable funds into financial counsellors which support people with problem gambling, as well as into gambling research. I think the problems of the future will come from the online environment. As you would be aware we have an inquiry into that, and we will be responding to that shortly.