David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When it comes to gambling, Australia is the biggest loser in the world. We lose more per capita than any other country. Australians are sick and tired of turning on the TV and seeing gambling ad after gambling ad. Based on this concern, and the leadership of the late Peta Murphy, the Murphy review was a landmark report, mapping out a way to deal with this as a country where 75 per cent of young people now think that gambling is just a normal part of sport. Friday marks one year from the Murphy review, and we haven't heard a peep from the Labor government in response. We've seen nothing. Ms Murphy didn't mince her words at the time when she said that betting ads were grooming children. The recommended phased ad ban across all platforms was supported by everyone involved in the inquiries. It was a multipartisan backed report, yet, a year later, Labor haven't moved.

We have to call this out. We have to have the courage to stand up to the gambling industry and to put our kids, Australian children, ahead of the profits of mostly multinational companies that are spending $260 million a year advertising their products, which are causing harm, addiction and other issues for people, families and communities—and we all pick up that bill at the end of the day. It's not good enough, and I urge the Labor government to act.