Topics: Gambling, ABC editorial standards
Sally Sara: Morning, Senator. Welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.
Senator Henderson: Sally, it’s lovely to join you.
Sally Sara: Are you pleased with this deal? Does it tick the boxes of what the Coalition was after?
Senator Henderson: We are pleased because the bill, as it was previously, was very flawed. That was highlighted during the Senate inquiry. The bill didn’t properly protect children. It didn’t address predatory inducements and some of the terrible tactics of the gambling companies, who of course are targeting those most at risk. It didn’t crack down on illegal gambling ads, and we’ve done that also in the amendment. So we secured a wide range of amendments, tougher restrictions on broadcasters, tougher online restrictions, the banning of predatory inducements, of course, the global opt-out register. That means that every Australian can go to the register and choose not to be served gambling ads online in this country. That’s a very significant initiative of the Coalition. And of course, the banning of illegal ads online, which are a real scourge, particularly on social media. So we really are cracking down on those.
Sally Sara: Some of your own think it doesn’t go far enough, including Andrew Wallace. Why didn’t you push for further limitations on gambling advertising?
Senator Henderson: Well, we made a very significant difference in these amendments, and we think we’ve got the balance right. But of course, we’ve also announced that – one of the amendments – will provide for a statutory review in three years. So, if the gambling companies think that they can get away with continuing improper conduct, if the broadcasters don’t comply, if something is not working, the government and hopefully it will be our government in three years’ time will be held to account. We are determined to continue to shine a light to ensure that there is proper accountability and transparency in relation to these laws. But look, we mustn’t forget we don’t want to punish the vast majority of Australians who love a bet, who don’t have a gambling problem. We were very concerned about ensuring that this would not punish legitimate industries, including the racing industry, which contributes billions of dollars to our economy, 100,000 jobs alone just in thoroughbred racing, including in the regions. So, we’ve worked extremely hard to get the balance right. We did have to drag the prime minister and the communications minister kicking and screaming to the table, but you know, to be fair, we have had constructive discussions. And this bill is a vastly different bill to the one that the Labor government presented a short time ago.
Sally Sara: On recognising and detecting problem gamblers, this is what Kai Cantwell, CEO of Responsible Wagering Australia, had to say a short time ago:
Excerpt
Kai Cantwell: “There are frameworks in every state and territory, and of course there are frameworks within the Northern Territory where most of my members are regulated that talk about the lengths that we must go to monitor in real time, red flag type behaviours, whether it’s around spending patterns, whether it’s around time of day betting, volume of betting, etc. Now, what we do very well in the online space is we have account-based gambling, so we understand people’s patterns of bets. Something you cannot do with cash-based gambling.”
Sally Sara: Are you satisfied with that response?
Senator Henderson: No, I’m not because what we found, and in the evidence in the Senate inquiry, many gambling companies are targeting those most at risk, and we heard some horrific stories. I spoke to one person who said, “If it was not for the inducements, I would still have my family, I would still have my job.” So this horrific targeting of those most at risk has been going on incessantly. We are cracking down on that by stopping these predatory inducements. Of course, we’re also banning direct marketing of inducements for new account holders. Tougher restrictions on those who’ve been on BetStop to have that cooling off period. But we’re not going to cop it. And also these amendments also include very significant fines, Sally. So that the betting companies will be held to account. They will be monitored, they will be held to account and they will be fined if they think that they continue to target at-risk gamblers. And of course, these laws will prohibit that. So we think this is a very substantial advancement to what the Labor government brought before the parliament.
Sally Sara: You’re listening to Radio National Breakfast. I’m speaking with Sarah Henderson, Liberal Senator and Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety. Just on a couple of separate issues, the ABC has withdrawn several stories produced by a former Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal due to concerns about accuracy and sources, are you satisfied with the way that the ABC is responding to this or should more heads roll, in your view?
Senator Henderson: Sally, this is a disgraceful episode for the ABC. There are many hardworking journalists who take their craft of journalism very seriously. This has brought the ABC into disrepute. How was this man ever engaged? And when these allegations about his misconduct first arose, the ABC did nothing. Now, eventually, of course, he was terminated, but there must be other people who knew what was going on. He’s used fake sources. He’s concocted fake news and this is the ABC’s pre-eminent current affairs program. There must be an independent investigation. I mean, Hugh Marks, who was not there when he was engaged, said to me in Senate Estimates, he’s got a good story to tell. I said, well, just interview him. That doesn’t mean you hire him. What has happened to the standards at the ABC that this sort of scandal could unravel? It is just not good enough and this is why more Australians are losing trust in the ABC.
Sally Sara: The figures show it’s still the most trusted news organisation.
Senator Henderson: Well, I’m not sure that that’s the case, Sally. And this is another example where the ABC cannot be trusted. This Four Corners is a highly credentialed program, much admired over many years. But this is a shocking scandal. Heads must roll. Who was responsible for all of this? And as I say, there needs to be an independent investigation. We’ve seen the Gina Rinehart scandal, the fake gunshot scandal involving Heston Russell, where he was falsely accused of being a war criminal. We’ve had Sarah Ferguson caught up in a scandal involving her being the EP of a documentary funded by an animal rights activist, when of course she was the host of the 7.30 program. It’s not good enough.
Sally Sara: Sarah Henderson, thank you for joining me. Sarah Henderson, is the Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety.