Labor members will reignite the push for a stronger gambling regulator at the party’s national conference amid concerns the government’s changes do not go far enough. Source: ABC News.
Policy fights on gambling harm reduction, a gas export tax and the impacts of artificial intelligence are intensifying ahead of Labor’s 50th national conference in Adelaide this week. A stoush on local government funding is also brewing.
Party powerbrokers and unions are also in talks on issues such as improving dental access through Medicare, compulsory superannuation for under-18s and the creation of an independent aviation body.
Multiple Labor sources have told the ABC efforts are underway to progress amendments to Labor’s draft national platform on gambling after the suite of changes unveiled by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier this year did not include the establishment of a national watchdog.
Labor insiders expect ongoing debate about artificial intelligence when party faithful gather to hash out a policy platform to guide the next three years.
One said “conversations are continuing” about regulation of the sector, potentially through a standalone national body as recommended in the landmark You Win Some, You Lose More report, or by “beefing up” the resources of the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Advocates have long argued that Australia’s state-based system has produced inconsistent rules, weak enforcement and gaps that have allowed gambling harms to persist.
A Labor source said support for action on gambling beyond the clause in the latest draft of the policy platform was “very cross-factional”, with the push coming from both rank-and-file members and unions.
But they said it was already “significant” to have gambling harms included in the draft at all, in particular the reference to tackling so-called wagering “inducements”, which the government’s planned changes do not tackle.
The triennial conference, which starts on Thursday, has been criticised for being overly “managed”. Much of the blame has been levelled at Mr Albanese, who hails from the Left faction that dominates the rank-and-file membership and the parliamentary caucus.
But defenders have argued that the policy negotiation process that is run through the party’s National Policy Forum, which is made up of elected representatives from the branch membership, trade unions and federal Labor caucus, has simply superseded conference floor brawls.
One Labor source said the forum, which prepares the draft platform debated and adopted at the conference, was resulting in more “quality” policy.
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Labor members revive push for national gambling regulator (By Clare Armstrong, ABC News)
