A ban on gambling advertising would pass Parliament with a conscience vote, according to a Labor MP in favour of tackling the issue as a matter of public health. Source: ABC News.
The assessment by Macarthur MP Mike Freelander has been echoed by Liberal Simon Kennedy and independent Kate Chaney, who are co-chairs of the newly revived Parliamentary Friends of Gambling Harm Minimisation group.
In a sign of mounting pressure on the Albanese Government to address gambling harms, MPs from across the political divide, unions, Labor grassroots members and advocates are increasingly formalising their efforts to lobby for action.
Mr Freelander told the ABC he believed the multi-partisan support for restricting advertising meant the reforms would “get there” eventually.
“If there was a conscience vote given in the Parliament, I’ve got no doubt we’d be able to ban gambling advertising, because I think there’s a general consensus we need to act on it, that it does cause a lot of harm,” he said.
Mr Kennedy and Ms Chaney have blamed Anthony Albanese for an apparent lack of haste on the federal Government’s response to recommendations from a 2023 inquiry into online gambling, but Mr Freelander said he was not seeking to criticise the prime minister.
The Labor MP, who has decades of medical experience as a paediatrician in Western Sydney, said he saw gambling advertising as a “public health issue”.
“I’ve seen it impact families, the kids I’ve looked after, and I want us to do something to reduce the harm,” Mr Freelander said.
Ms Chaney said there was “broad support” across the political spectrum for “serious reform of the predatory online gambling industry”.
A national survey reveals that around three million Australians are engaged in some form of harmful gambling, which is linked to financial stress, family violence and poor mental health.
A government spokesperson said Labor had undertaken the “most significant gambling harm reduction measures in the past decade”.
This included banning the use of credit cards for online wagering, launching the national self-exclusion register BetStop and forcing companies to send customers monthly statements outlining wins and losses.
FULL STORY
Gambling ad ban would pass parliament with a conscience vote, Labor MP says (By Clare Armstrong, ABC News)
