Gambling Reform - Question to the Prime Minister - 1 July 2024
This is a question for the Prime Minister. On Friday, it was a year since the parliamentary committee tabled 31 recommendations to reform online gambling, unanimously supported across the political spectrum. These recommendations included phasing out online gambling ads. My community is done with gambling ads, and the experts say partial bans don't work. The government has not yet taken any action. When will the government listen to communities and ban ads for online gambling?
I thank the member for Curtin for her question. Indeed, some 88,000 people in the member for Curtin's electorate will get a tax cut today, because every single taxpayer will get one. The member for Curtin knows I was in her electorate, a couple of weeks ago. I was talking with people whilst I was there about the economic challenges but also the opportunities that are there for WA to continue to be such an important part of our growing economy.
The member for Curtin, however, is wrong when she says we haven't done anything, because we have. We've been stepping out support when it comes to things like banning credit cards to gamble online to make a difference and save lives. We've done more in two years to tackle gambling harm than those opposite did in their almost decade in office. The Minister for Communications is working through all 31 recommendations that are in the report, making sure that relevant consultations occur with stakeholders—
including harm reduction advocates and industry, and we will continue to work through each of the recommendations which are there. But we have already done, in establishing BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register—some 24,000 Australians, over the last nine months, have registered. Eighty per cent of those people participating are under the age of 40. We have changed the new minimum classifications for video games for gambling-like content. We have introduced new evidence based taglines to replace the old 'gamble responsibly' lines which were there, and we've introduced nationally consistent staff training. We've forced online wagering companies to send their customers monthly activity statements outlining wins and losses. We've introduced a new voluntary industry funding model which will allow 30,000 additional people to receive support every year, and we've provided directly funding for specialist financial counselling to support people affected by problem gambling. We'll continue to work on these issues, to work them through. I'm happy to continue to work with the member for Curtin in a constructive way. The member for Curtin always contributes to the policy debate that takes place in this country, and I know that my door and the door of the Minister for Communications—as it is with people across the parliament—are always open to her, because we recognise that what we need to do is more in this area. But we want to make sure that we get it right.