Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Ban on Gambling Advertisements During Live Sport) Bill 2023. As Senator Scarr said, this bill places a ban on gambling advertisements during television and radio broadcasting and live streaming of sporting events, and, as Senator Scarr also said, the ban would commence one hour before the scheduled start of the match and end one hour after its conclusion. But the government will not be supporting this bill.

Our position on this bill should not be misconstrued as a lack of will to seriously address the harms of online gambling. In fact, between us and the opposition, we are the only party that is serious about addressing these harms, and the bill we are debating today is further evidence of this. It's nothing more than a thought bubble, and, if I were Senator Henderson, I might be a bit embarrassed to table it. Of course, if the opposition were truly serious about reducing gambling harm, they wouldn't have had this sudden interest. Let's not forget that those opposite, who were in government for almost a decade, were the architects of the current arrangements. But now, all of a sudden, the Leader of the Opposition and the coalition he leads have taken an interest in the harms presented by gambling advertising and are seeking to change these arrangements. So forgive me for being cynical if I don't take this sudden interest seriously, after years of inaction by those opposite.