Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has launched a blistering attack on the Albanese government's proposed gambling advertising reforms, calling them a betrayal of the community and a failure to act on the landmark Peta Murphy parliamentary inquiry.
Wilkie's Scathing Assessment
Speaking on the Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast, Wilkie said the government's response to the Murphy inquiry—which delivered 31 consensus recommendations—was deeply inadequate. 'It needs to be recognised that the Murphy parliamentary inquiry was the best parliamentary inquiry into gambling harm this parliament has ever seen,' Wilkie said. 'And it's important that its 31 recommendations [made up a] consensus report. I would go so far as to say it is the best blueprint that has ever been produced in Australia for addressing gambling harm and that makes the fact that the government sat on it for more than three years all the more damning.'
The government's current legislation, before a Senate inquiry, would restrict gambling ads during certain hours, ban radio ads during school pick-up and drop-off times, and prohibit ads in sports venues and on players' jerseys. But Wilkie said this falls far short: 'That makes the fact that the government is only going to three of the recommendations and then only in part, I think that's all the more damning. It's clearly well short of what the community were hoping for.'
The Harm of Online Gambling
Wilkie emphasised that he is not anti-gambling, but insists on effective harm minimisation. 'I'm quite happy for people to go out and gamble. We are not anti-gambling. We just want to make it safe. We want to have effective harm minimisation measures in place,' he said. 'We know that the uptake in sports and online gambling, it's a very steep line. And with that, the number of people who either have an addiction or are at serious risk of developing addiction, that number is growing steeply.'
He cited data from the Australian Gambling Research Centre showing that the 18 to 24 age group are nearly twice as likely to be at a high risk of gambling harm compared with other age groups.
Government Hesitancy and Political Links
Wilkie attributed the government's reluctance to go further to personal relationships between ministers and the gambling and sports industries. 'I think there are some in the government who are fellow travellers with one or all of those industries and I'd single out the prime minister personally and his relationship with the leadership of NRL,' Wilkie said. 'I mean that's not a case of the prime minister being scared of anyone in the NRL, he's just favourably disposed to the leadership of the NRL.'
He questioned how any parliamentarian could ignore the human toll after meeting with those affected by gambling addiction. 'I don't know how any member of the House or Senator can sit down and have the sort of meetings that I have regularly with people who are battling addiction or recovering from addiction, families who have a loved one who has an addiction, perhaps may have even suicided. I don't know how anyone with humanity can have those conversations and not walk away absolutely determined to do something about it.'
Hope for Stronger Action
Despite his frustration, Wilkie expressed optimism that the eight-week Senate inquiry into the bill could lead to tougher measures. 'I think up until recently, the leadership of the federal opposition haven't really understood this issue, haven't understood the politics of it. I would add, haven't understood that, here is an issue where they could differentiate themselves from the government, which would be immensely popular,' he said. 'But I think that is changing. So I'm hopeful that by the end of this eight-week Senate inquiry into the bill that we will see the opposition side with the Greens and demand at least some significant changes to the bill. Maybe that's why the government have gone in so soft at the start, so they've got a bit of room to move with amendments.'
