Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to make a brief contribution to Senator Pocock's matter of urgency before the Senate today. A lot of us in this place who have spoken on this very important issue have had family members impacted by problem gambling. It is an issue that does deserve serious action and serious attention. Given the contributions that we've heard so far, it does concern me that there are people in this place who have been in the parliament for many, many years—in fact, for over 10 years—who have only recently decided to jump on the bandwagon and try to do something about this issue. It is also worth placing on the record what the government has committed to and what the government has done whilst it has been in office. At the outset, it's important to acknowledge that the government is concerned about the gambling harms that we see and hear about across Australia. We know that Australians want to see meaningful action to address these harms, and the parliament is united in the need for a comprehensive response to the online gambling inquiry report.

Those in this chamber would also be aware of the reporting that the government is consulting right now on a proposal to address the harms caused by online wagering. On the issue of online wagering advertising, the government has made very clear that the status quo is untenable. We have gathered the evidence about harms, we have assessed the impacts of various options and we are now consulting on a proposed model, focused on three outcomes. The proposal as it currently stands is not insignificant, but it does seek to address a number of areas: the exposure of children to gambling ads, the normalisation of wagering on sport, and the targeting and saturation of ads. The need for meaningful action is very clear and, as we've seen, the insights from Roy Morgan Research, recently gathered through interviews with around 16,000 Australians for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, show that the number of people betting on sport has doubled in the past five years. More than one-quarter of all men aged between 18 and 24 and one-third of men aged between 25 and 34 now bet on sport, and 10 per cent of sport betters are classified as problem gamblers. Australians lose more than $25 billion on gambling every single year. That is the highest per capita in the world. That is why we need to get these reforms right to deliver both harm reduction and cultural change.

In the two years since being elected, the government has delivered more online wagering harm reduction initiatives than were delivered in a decade under the Liberals. This includes banning the use of credit cards for online gambling; introducing new evidence based taglines in wagering advertising; strengthening classification of gambling-like features in video games, to better protect children; establishing mandatory customer ID verification for online wagering; and launching the national self-exclusion register, BetStop, for problem gamblers, on which more than 27,000 Australians have registered, with 40 per cent of those opting for self-imposed lifetime bans. BetStop is the most effective harm reduction initiative to date in terms of directly helping Australians who are experiencing harm. I encourage anyone who is listening to visit betstop.gov.au.

Advertising reform is complex, but we are making progress. As a government, we are taking the time to consult and ensure that the reforms are effective and will not have detrimental unintended consequences. It's also important to consider the multiple channels over which advertising is delivered. It's not just on television and radio but also on digital platforms and social media where advertising can be targeted at vulnerable Australians. We have to take a comprehensive approach, especially since following the last set of gambling ad restrictions, which were introduced in 2018 by the Liberals, there was a 50 per cent increase in the total volume of gambling spots on television and radio, including an 86 per cent increase on regional TV.

We've gathered the evidence about harms, and we've assessed the impacts of various options and are now consulting on a proposed model for reform to online wagering advertising. The government has been undertaking broad consultation with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters, providers, digital platforms and sporting codes, and we'll continue to engage with stakeholders in good faith. Importantly, no decision has been made on the reforms to online wagering, and we'll be doing so in due course. (Time expired)