David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. In my household, as in many other Australian households, footy time is family time. But this time is being encroached upon by the corrosive influence of sports-betting advertising during the broadcasting of games. As announced in the Leader of the Opposition's budget reply speech, a coalition government would move to ban sports-betting advertising during the broadcasting of games. Will the Prime Minister work with the opposition to get this initiative implemented now?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

r ALBANESE (—) (): I thank the member for his question. No-one likes their footy more than me, although I didn't enjoy last Friday night, it must be said—to the member for Parramatta!

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Spence will leave the chamber under 94(a).

The member for Spence then left the chamber.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We on this side of the House do want to protect people from gambling harm, and that's why we've already made real progress. In April, Ministers Rishworth and Rowland announced that we will be having a ban on credit cards for online wagering, something that was never done by those opposite—never done by those opposite. We're introducing BetStop in the third quarter of this year so people can exclude themselves from online gambling—again, something never done by those opposite. We are concerned about gambling ads. I find them, frankly, annoying, as do, I think, most people who are trying to watch the footy. But they want—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If only they were in government sometime in the last decade! If only they'd had the opportunity to do something, to act! What we have done is establish a House of Reps inquiry not just—

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Casey is warned!

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

into ads on TV but also taking into account social media and branding—not just live TV. A comprehensive inquiry is underway, something that the Leader of the Opposition apparently is not aware of.

We've also held the first meeting of state and territory ministers responsible for gambling harm reduction since 2017. They didn't even have a discussion about any of these issues—not in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022. Nothing! The coalition had nine years to act to ban ads during sport, but they didn't. The only reason there are any restrictions on gambling ads during live sport is actions that Labor has taken. We will await the inquiry that looks at a comprehensive response, because that is what is appropriate.