Green’s Gambling Ban Push Stumbles Again

The Australian Greens moved a motion for a Senate committee to scrutinise the gambling ban bill failed 29–19.

A retiree plays electronic poker machines at the Randwick Labor Club in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 21, 2012. William West/AFP via Getty Images

Labor and the Liberals have blocked a Greens’ push for to ban gambling advertising, which was backed by Nationals and independent MPs.

The motion was voted down 29 votes to 19, preventing the Greens bill from being referred to a Senate committee for examination.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, speaking for the government, argued the issue had already been canvassed extensively and said committees were already overloaded.

“There has been plenty of time that these issues have been examined and further examination in a committee. The committees are heavily have a number of references that are currently before them. I don’t think that another reference of this order needs to be to be sent to the committee,” she told the Senate.

Greens Accuse Labor of Backflipping

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused Labor of walking away from earlier commitments to reform gambling advertising.

“This government seems to have forgotten everything it stands for ... had made a previous commitment to reform gambling advertising in this country, and yet, three years down the track, they have done nothing,” she said.

Hanson-Young then moved a separate motion seeking an alternative inquiry into the same legislation.

She expects both major parties to oppose it again, arguing Labor was still refusing to act on the recommendations of the late Labor MP Peta Murphy’s parliamentary report into gambling advertising.

Meanwhile, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan indicated his party would vote for an inquiry, but argued that the Greens were going too far in trying to ban the practice. Instead his party wants to examine the proposal.

Gambling Participation and Harm Rising

Australians are gambling more often and experiencing higher levels of harm, according to a major report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

It found 65 percent of adults gambled at least once in the past year, up from 57 percent in 2019. The share of Australians considered at risk of gambling harm also climbed from 11 percent to 15 percent over the same period.

“Gambling participation and harm have both risen significantly since 2019,” the report, released on Sept. 24, said. It called for gambling to be treated as a public health issue with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults disproportionately affected.