Sources say Albanese government willing to tighten rules on betting inducements but less likely to budge on TV and online advertisements
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The Albanese government is prepared to tighten rules on gambling inducements, but is less likely to budge on advertising rules, as negotiations continue on wagering legislation, which so far has lacked the support needed to pass parliament.
Federal Labor is open to considering amendments to its legislation from the Coalition when MPs return to Canberra this week, sources say.
The government was prepared to make changes around wagering inducements – a focus of explosive parliamentary hearings last week – as part of negotiations, but was less open to tweaking proposed rules on the frequency of advertisements on TV and online.
Additional restrictions on ads are a major demand of gambling harm advocates and the Senate crossbench.
Upper house hearings have aired sensational allegations that wagering companies provided illegal drugs and access to sex workers to keep problem gamblers betting. Betting giants Sportsbet and Tabcorp say there is no evidence to substantiate these claims.
“If the government’s now willing to move on some things, well, good, but the devil is going to be in the detail,” the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, a vocal proponent of stronger action, told the ABC on Sunday. “Inducements, of course … should be gone.”
The Coalition, crossbenchers and the Greens have opposed Labor’s reforms as proposed by the communications minister, Anika Wells, meaning the legislation is unlikely to pass in its current form.
Sources said the government was more inclined to deal with the Coalition and would await amendments from the opposition after its party room met in the nation’s capital this week.
The government frontbencher Jenny McAllister said on Sunday that Wells was in discussion with the Coalition and had been “paying attention” to evidence from the recent parliamentary hearings.
McAllister said Labor thought it had “broadly got the legislation right” but was open to “sensible amendments”. “We want to see this through the parliament,” she said.
Inducements can include perks like “bonus bets”, promotional odds, rebates or more VIP enticements like hospitality at events.
The landmark gambling reform report from late Labor MP Peta Murphy called for a total and immediate ban on inducements and their advertising. That issue has been a key focus for advocates within the Coalition, crossbench and Greens – and even among some Labor MPs who want the government to go further.
