Bipartisan breakthrough on gambling ads
In a rare show of cross-party co-operation, the federal government and the opposition have negotiated a tentative deal on gambling advertising reforms, ending weeks of deadlock over how far to restrict the industry's marketing reach.
Communications Minister Anika Wells confirmed the shape of the compromise in parliament, saying the reforms would respond to long-running criticism of the original bill by introducing new restrictions on inducement-based marketing and establishing a wagering advertising opt-out register. That register, she said, would give Australians "a one-stop shop to opt out of seeing wagering advertising online."
The agreement, briefed to a Labor backbench committee and the Coalition shadow ministry, includes a so-called triple lock system requiring social media, streaming and other online platforms to show gambling ads only to logged-in users verified as over 18. Each adult would also be given the ability to opt out, although as the ABC revealed, that manual effort for many was one of the sticking points.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was reported not to be prepared to consider a full opt-in system, which some critics had advocated. Instead, the compromise position put forward by the opposition was to create a single register for Australians to indicate their wish not to see wagering ads, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority set to establish it. The register is not expected to be in place from January 1 when the broader restrictions take effect, and industry sources have questioned the feasibility and funding of the system.
The legislation in detail
The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill, as amended, bans predatory inducements and outlaws wagering companies from paying staff commissions linked to customer losses. It also introduces a cooling-off period for new accounts and for those who recently removed themselves from self-exclusion register, and points to crack down on VIP account managers. The ABC reported last year that Sportsbet and Tabcorp had already moved to a prospective model in this area.
Additionally, the bill bans gambling ads during children's programming and extends the blackout period before live sports broadcasts. Liberal MP Simon Kennedy endorsed the inclusion of an independent review mechanism.
Parliament also passed the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment Bill, which sets a revised framework for participant planning and ties eligibility closer to functional capacity, requiring unscheduled reassessments to be justified by significant, ongoing changes. The ASIO Amendment Bill likewise expands the agency's compulsory questioning and detention powers.
This had been agreed as part of a three-piece package negotiated between the government and opposition, a process that drew criticism from the Greens and some crossbench senators.
Opposition and crossbench reactions
The Senate inquiry tasked with examining the gambling bills recommended they be passed, but its report drew a scathing response from Senator David Pocock, who called the decision "not surprising, but tragic". The crossbencher wrote a dissenting report calling for a full phase-out of gambling ads over three years, an immediate ban on inducements, and a single national regulator. He also pointed to evidence presented to the inquiry from the family of a 24-year-old man with a severe gambling addiction who died by suicide.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young echoed that criticisms, calling for a complete ban on online gambling advertisements and the creation of a national regulator, as well as the end of inducements and legislation to make gambling companies forfeit proceeds of crime.
What happens next
The expanded bill is expected to be considered by the party room for final approval on Friday morning, alongside the NDIS and ASIO amendments. The successful negotiation has been seen as a sign that the major parties can still find common ground on contested policy areas, and that the Coalition may be concluding that its best path back to government is not to imitate the populist politics of minor parties.
The deal is still tentative, and the final question of whether it passes intact remains to be seen.