I’m very pleased to rise to speak on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 and Interactive Gambling (Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2026. I have to start by saying these bills, particularly the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, are vastly different to the ones that the government presented into the parliament a very short time ago.
We have worked constructively with the government to secure a wide range of sensible amendments to this bill to ensure that children are better protected and that there is much greater protection for vulnerable Australians, including those suffering from gambling harm. These amendments also include a very significant crackdown on illegal gambling ads, particularly on social media. But we want to ensure that, in prosecuting these amendments and in bringing forward a vastly strengthened bill, we preserve the personal choice for millions of Australians who gamble responsibly. We have had constructive discussions, and I do acknowledge and thank both the Prime Minister and the communications minister, but it has not been an easy road. We have seen more than three years of delay, deflection and deception from the government in relation to gambling reform.
The government presented before the parliament a greatly flawed and deficient bill which did not get the balance right. It is extraordinary that that bill allowed for up to three gambling ads per hour to be served during children’s television programming. It is extraordinary that the government’s unamended bill did not combat predatory inducements and the shocking tactics used by gambling companies to target those suffering acute gambling harm and addiction. It is extraordinary that the government’s unamended bill weakened the protections online and undid so much of the former coalition government’s good work with the reforms that were passed by the parliament back in 2018. It is very disappointing that, while the Prime Minister is no longer saying this, he continued to say for a very long period of time that this unamended bill banned gambling ads during live sport, when, in fact, those prohibitions—the banning of gambling ads during live sport, including the five-minute blackout window before and after live sport between 5 am and 8.30 pm—were very significant initiatives of the former coalition government. When I talk about deception, that was a very misleading, disappointing claim by the Prime Minister—taking credit for the work of the former coalition government.
But I do want to work through and discuss these amendments, which deliver sensible safeguards but, importantly, do not punish most Australians who gamble responsibly whether they want to have a bet on the races, take their chance on a lottery ticket or have a flutter on the race which stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup. In bringing forward these amendments, we also recognise the importance of the wagering sector and sectors such as racing. Thoroughbred racing alone is worth more than $13 billion to the Australian economy. It directly employs 100,000 Australians, half of whom work in regional Australia. But it is absolutely not good enough that the government’s unamended bill did not combat predatory inducements, allowed gambling ads in children’s television programming and weakened online protections. So now the bill, amended in the House and now before the Senate, includes a wide range of significant amendments delivered by the coalition.
There are tougher restrictions on broadcasters. The blackout period before live sport, before the game commences, has been extended from five minutes to 15 minutes between 5 am to 8.30 pm. It was 6 am under the government’s bill. We’ve now brought it back to 5 am, as was the case with the current law. There will be no gambling ads allowed in children’s television programming or programs directed to children. For the commercial television networks that apply the same broadcast rules, which includes a maximum of three gambling ads per hour between 5 am and 8.30 pm, where they apply the same broadcast rules to simulcast of those programs on BVOD platforms—that is now permitted, because, of course, many Australians, when they watch their smart TV, don’t know whether they’re watching a network through their terrestrial aerial or through the app—we have made sure that no gambling ads will be allowed during video-on-demand catch-up television programs where that triple-lock opt-out exemption applies.
There will now be tougher online restrictions. Labor’s bill, as I mentioned, weakened the rules online. It dropped the five-minute blackout before and after live sport. It allowed gambling ads in unscheduled breaks, such as after a goal was scored, which was a huge shock when we first read the government’s proposal. I’m very pleased to say that one of our amendments has fixed this, and now the broadcast rules mirror those online very significantly.
There will a complete ban on the direct marketing of predatory inducements. There will be a ban on staff commissions related to customer activity, such as customer spending and betting losses. So no longer will wagering companies in this country be allowed to target those who are incurring very large losses or who are addicted to gambling and making their lives hell. The direct marketing of inducements, including targeting through social media advertising, to red flag customers is now banned. There are very strong obligations to monitor customers to make sure that the gambling companies are appropriately red-flagging customers who are showing signs of gambling harm. And there are big fines for breaches. This has never been part of our law. Responsible Wagering talks about frameworks. Well, frameworks are meaningless. Until the bill before the Senate now, there have been no laws that ban predatory inducements, and that is where so much of the harm is occurring. We heard that compelling evidence in the Senate inquiry, including from Mr Luke Bateman, a former NRL player, who told a shocking story about how he was being targeted. Those who are addicted to gambling are targeted by these so-called VIP managers, who were of course causing such enormous harm. There will be no inducements for 14 days for all new account holders. This is not just important for anyone signing up to a betting account. It also means that if someone was with one betting company and they’d reached their limit or they’d been red-flagged or they’d been restricted, they can’t just go and sign up with someone else and keep betting in an uncontrolled way. So there is an important cooling-off period there.
For those who have registered with BetStop, another very important initiative of the former coalition government—we legislated BetStop—there will be a three-month cooling-off period following a customer’s deregistering from BetStop.
There will be AdStop, a global opt-out register which ensures that every Australian can go to the register, a one-stop shop to opt out of all gambling ads no matter where they are online. This is a very significant initiative. The idea that Australians have got to find every single opt-out button on every website, on every social media platform, from our perspective, was untenable. This register will take up to 12 months to design and implement. The government needs to make sure it gets it right. Privacy and data have to be properly protected. But this is now one place where Australians can go to opt out of all gambling ads in this country. This is a huge warning to the gambling companies. If you want to try and get around these laws, if you want to abuse your privilege to operate in the Australian marketplace, I can tell you every single Australian will have the opportunity to opt out of wagering advertising through a very simple mechanism. So this, as I say, is a very important initiative of the coalition.
We have also tackled the scourge of illegal gambling ads online, particularly on social media. Publishers of gambling advertisements are now directly liable for publishing illegal gambling ads online, including from illegal offshore casinos. Prior to this, ACMA, the regulator, had some limited powers. They were playing whack-a-mole with overseas illegal websites, but they were popping up as soon as they were being taken down. We’ve got to make sure that the publishers of gambling ads in this country check to make sure that they are only publishing ads from licensed wagering providers in this country. Illegal offshore gambling is causing enormous harm to Australians. It is costing Australians some $3.6 billion. The trajectory is that in a number of years it will cost up to $5 billion. They are an absolute scourge on social media. They are very deceptive. We are cracking down and shutting them out.
There will very importantly be a statutory review in three years—another coalition amendment that we fought very hard for. This will be independent. This will include public submissions. This will drive accountability and transparency. We want to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. This is a big warning to the gambling industry. This is a big warning to all stakeholders—television, radio broadcasters, gambling companies and other online platforms. If you are going to try and get around these laws, if you are going to try and continue to hurt Australians, there will be full and complete transparency and accountability through a statutory review. The coalition has worked very hard to ensure these amendments are practical, they are proportionate and they respect personal choice and responsibility. I have to say—and I do commend others in the Senate, including the Greens and the crossbench—we drove the government kicking and screaming to a Senate inquiry. The two days of hearings shone a very significant light on the extensive gambling harm that is being caused in this country. I want to thank those who did testify in the Senate inquiry for their courage. That was very, very influential in convincing the government that they needed to do so much more.
I want to also reflect on the coalition’s record when we were in government. I did call out the Prime Minister in relation to the fact that back in 2018 we banned gambling ads during live sport, including in the five-minute window before and after. We legislated BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, to support gamblers who needed support to take a break from gambling. That is now up and running and that is working very well. Also, we did pass laws to prohibit betting companies offering sign-up inducements, as part of the National Consumer Protection Framework. Now, as we know, we have much tougher provisions before the Senate.
Australians lost approximately $32 billion on legal forms of gambling in 2023-24, and 25 per cent of those losses were as a result of wagering. The consequences extend well beyond financial loss. Gambling addiction can contribute to psychological distress, relationship breakdown, financial hardship and workplace impacts. Families often bear the consequences alongside the individual gambler. We also recognise that we’ve got to get the balance right. This is a very important industry, including, of course, the racing industry. We think that, in bringing forward these amendments, which have now been passed in the House, we have a much better bill. I commend the bill to the Senate.