Gambling reform. Government – proud supporters of not having a crack

While the Budget claims to ease the pressure on ordinary Australians, it continues to ignore the need for online gambling reform. Certified Public Accountant Wally It has a crack.

On the same day it presented the Budget intended to “relieve the pressure on Australians”, the Government stepped up the pressure again with its too slow and too weak response to 2023. Investigation Report – aka the Murphy Report, YWin a little, lose more: Online gambling and its effects on those harmed by gambling.

It took the government 1,049 days, or almost three years, to respond. In November 2024, Minister Anika Wells was questioned about the slow pace of the Government Response and said reforms to address the harm of online gambling were ‘significant’.

He responded as if the Government were being careful and cautious and that these problems meant that a long delay was necessary.

By contrast, the foreword to the June 2023 Report of Inquiry emphasizes that what matters is the need for urgent reforms as Australians outperform citizens of all other countries when it comes to online gambling.

This situation creates havoc in our societies.

The long response time makes it difficult to believe that the Government believes the social harm from online gambling is significant.

The first sentence in the introduction to the Government’s response states: “The Australian Government takes seriously its responsibility to protect Australians from the harms of online gambling.” It’s a red flag when someone has to publicly declare that they take an issue seriously. If someone says they are taking something seriously after 1049 days, it is almost certain that they are not.

An Australian Government serious about the societal harm caused by online gambling would have responded to the Inquiry Report within 12 months, rather than dragging out its response for almost 3 years. An Australian Government that is serious about the societal harm caused by online gambling will not back down on its reforms on Federal Budget day.

It seems the Australian Government wanted media and public attention to be diverted to issues other than the harms of online gambling. This is the kind of policy that trivializes the social harm of online gambling.

especially the harm caused to children by online gambling advertisements.

Investigation Report unanswered

When questioned by an ABC reporter about the progress of the Government Response in November 2024, Minister Wells said it was ‘complicated’ to deliver online gambling reforms as if the Government were facing rocket science issues.

If online gambling reform is complex, the Government Response must be comprehensive. Unfortunately, the Government’s response makes no specific mention of any of the 31 far-reaching recommendations in the Murphy Report. The best they can come to is: “The Government takes note of the 31 recommendations made by the Committee.”

The extent of the Australian Government’s involvement with the Murphy Report may amount to little more than stating that there were 31 recommendations. It is unclear whether the Government has even read the 31 wide-ranging recommendations because the Government Response does not address any of them.

Not noticing or ignoring the details of the recommendations contained in the Murphy Report is not the same as responding to them. Ignoring or disregarding a recommendation in the Murphy Report constitutes failure to respond. The Australian Government’s lack of response shows that they do not know how or what to respond to each of the 31 recommendations.

Additionally, if the Government rejects a recommendation, it must explain the reason for the rejection based on the reasons and relevant evidence, including any research. They didn’t.

Report recommendations were not taken into account

The first three recommendations of the Murphy Report are striking examples of this situation. The government turns a blind eye. After an astonishing 1049 days and despite all the difficulties “161 applications, 26 exhibitions and 13 public hearings were held.”

The first three recommendations of the Murphy Report seem eminently reasonable. A single Australian Government minister. A national strategy focusing on prevention, early intervention, treatment support and protection of the most vulnerable. It is a national regulator and requires companies that profit from online gambling to pay for harm reduction measures.

Gambling companies and their financial beneficiaries in the media may not like these recommendations, but Australia The government was not chosen to award contracts to online gambling companies.

If The government opposes these proposals, they should have explained why instead. view disdain For the Murphy Report by ignoring them.

Critics pay PM for ‘cowardly’ gambling reforms

government response

The Government’s Response contains a sentence of breathtaking hypocrisy:

“A number of recommendations made by the committee relate to policies that are the responsibility of the States and Territories. The Australian Government urges the States and Territories to examine the recommendations of the committee and respond accordingly. Many of the recommendations are policy-related, which is the responsibility of the Australian Government. It is the Australian Government that must review the recommendations or re-examine the recommendations and respond accordingly and appropriately.”

The government also ignored the most important recommendation in the Murphy Report

to protect children and prevent the harms of gambling.

Recommendation 26: “The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, with the cooperation of the states and territories, implement a comprehensive ban on all advertising for online gambling, to be implemented in four phases over three years, starting immediately.”

According to the Government Response, a comprehensive package of betting advertising reforms has been formulated, but none of the reforms are supported by evidence or rationale. Many of the proposed reforms appear to have come from a last-minute brainstorming session at the Ministry or the Prime Minister’s Office.

According to the Murphy Report, recent history shows that Australia’s limited approach to protecting children from gambling advertising means that the adoption of restrictions in one place or time leads to increased advertising elsewhere.

The Government must have missed this page in the Murphy Report because the Government Response continues with the failed approach of imposing restrictions at a particular place or time to enable advertising to increase elsewhere.

drop out of school

The government proposes to ban all betting advertising on broadcast radio during school drop-off (8am-9am) and pick-up (3pm-4pm).

However, not all children are driven to school in cars that play radio, and children still have access to broadcast radio at other times and in other places.

The government is proposing that all betting advertising be banned between 6.00am and 8.30pm during live sporting events on broadcast channels, as well as limiting all betting advertising on broadcast television to a maximum of 3 betting ads per hour per channel between 6.00am and 8.30pm.

Again, not all live sports events take place between 6:00 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Not all children stop watching TV at 20.30. There are plenty of television channels and there are still plenty of opportunities to target children with online gambling ads at times advertisers choose.

Betting companies continue to have a license to target children with the content of their advertisements.

The government proposes to ban all betting advertising on online platforms EXCEPT if users are logged in, 18 years of age or over, and have opted out of such advertising (triple lock function).

Children access content on their devices and often access apps using their parents’ login credentials. The Australian Government’s triple lock looks more like a Shoji screen. Parents should not be held responsible for protecting their children from online gambling ads.

The Murphy Report makes clear that it is the Government’s responsibility to protect children from online gambling advertising and that this responsibility can only be achieved through a comprehensive ban on all forms of online gambling advertising.

Virtue signaling to indigenous communities

Welcome, welcome to the most irrelevant country description ever seen. The Government’s Response begins with the adoption of the country declaration. “The Australian Government recognizes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia and recognizes their ongoing connection to land, water, culture and community, and pays our respects to Elders past and present.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have and feel a deep connection to land, water, culture and community. This link does not cover online gambling, cyberspace, the world wide web or customer logins to Sportsbet!

Sportbet isn’t just grooming kids with gambling ads, it’s also grooming regulators

Elder storytelling is at the heart of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture; stories of rising seas, country, landscape, animals and morality. The Australian Government seems to think seniors are telling stories about first try scorers or point winning bets and bonus bets with friends.

There is unlikely to be a single person of indigenous and Torres Strait Islander heritage who is not in the Australian Government who would want to be associated with the Government’s response to the Murphy Report, but there are a number of people who are uncomfortable being associated with this report.

Prime Minister Albanese should engage more with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in his local electorate to gauge their views on acceptance of country statements and welcome in country conversations.

When is it appropriate to greet and acknowledge? When not?

The Australian Government should not put itself, its image or its brand above Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through virtue signaling. These peoples deserve real Government services that will protect them from harm, rather than false recognition of acceptance of the declaration of country.

It is significant that, in acknowledging the country’s statement in the Government’s Response, it does not merely mention the appearance of past and present elders. The government does not seem to care much about protecting children and future generations from harm, especially the toxic effects of online gambling advertising.

victim blaming

The Australian Government’s philosophy towards tackling the harms of online gambling is to help victims find self-help solutions, rather than preventing harm from occurring in the first place. Victims are guilty. Victims must help themselves.

The Australian Government is allowing online gambling to harm our communities and victims can treat themselves or their loved ones using some helpful tips made public.

The Australian Government is showing its cards and public health credentials on the harm of online gambling by prominently displaying self-help tips in the Government Response, immediately following the ludicrous acceptance of the country’s statement.

Everything’s fine then, go help yourself. As Sportbet says: there is a crack.

Editor’s Note: Certified Public Accountant Wally is MWM’s long-term and trusted contact

Gambling advertising ban. The worker has the opportunity to do nothing