Labor under pressure to speed up gambling reform – CathNews

Crossbenchers, gambling harm advocates and even some inside Labor are demanding the Albanese Government speed up moves towards banning gambling advertisements, as pressure mounts on Labor to act. Source: The Guardian.

Next week marks one year since Peta Murphy’s landmark gambling report was delivered, and a key Labor MP is planning to “urge” the Government to respond soon. 

Discontent is growing over the Government’s failure to respond to its 31 recommendations, including a ban on all advertising for online gambling.

In a letter to the Government, the Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate and Baptist minister, Rev Tim Costello, wrote there was “anger” in the community at the continuing gambling ads. He urged Communications Minister Michelle Rowland to hurry up and announce action.

“We are now planning to publicly campaign in the lead up to the 12 month anniversary of the Government’s receipt of the [Murphy] report,” the letter read. “We plan to praise the Government’s work to date as well as anticipate more gambling harm reforms.”

Ms Murphy chaired the social policy and legal affairs committee’s inquiry into gambling-related harms. She died in December 2023 from breast cancer.

A study last year found more than 1 million gambling ads had aired on free-to-air television and radio in Australia in just 12 months.

Susan Templeman, the Labor MP who became committee chair after Ms Murphy’s death, said there was “keen interest” from committee members to hear the Government’s response.

“Of course we recognise that the Government has already taken actions but as the anniversary of the tabling of the report nears, I’ll be formally proposing that we urge the Government to table its response,” Ms Templeman said.

A spokesperson for Ms Rowland said yesterday that the Government remained “firmly committed to minimising harms from online wagering”, and was still engaging with health experts and industry.

FULL STORY

Labor under pressure from within to act on gambling reform as one-year anniversary of landmark report nears (By Josh Butler, The Guardian)