There are new concerns that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is caving in to demands from the gambling and media lobby to听water down the late gambling advertising reforms.
It has triggered an听 from some Labor MPs, who are yet to see the government鈥檚 response to the landmark report into gambling reform,听.
While industry stakeholders enjoy expensive lunches and听, advocates working to reduce harm to children were told to to receive briefings.
Leading advocate to stop gambling harm Tim Costello said he would do no such thing, saying: 鈥淚鈥檝e been working in gambling reform for 30 years 鈥 never once have I been asked to sign an NDA.鈥
It has only fuelled speculation that any back down by Albanese would be to assuage the gaming and racing industries, ahead of the looming election.
It is hard to see it otherwise, when the gambling lobby itself are the only ones who want limited reform.
The focus is on the Murphy report鈥檚 recommendation for a total ban on free-to-air television ads to curb the听by-design exposure of children to sports-betting marketing.听
It鈥檚 a business model which incubates the normalisation of gambling in young people.
Private media and gambling companies, which听 and lost productivity every year, want the community to pay for what they say would be 鈥渦p to鈥 $300 million in lost free-to-air TV advertising revenue.听
Despite calling it a 鈥渄eath knell鈥 for free to air, it is revenue they might never realise anyway from a format that is听 thanks to their own rationalisation of regional TV and newspaper assets,听听and the advent of non-Murdoch global streaming services.
called on Labor to 鈥済row a spine鈥 and stand up to the vested interests of bookmaker media.
鈥淭he gambling industry are parasites.听They feed off misery,鈥 she , adding, 鈥渧ulnerable children and those families that are being torn apart because of gambling鈥 should not be subsidising the advertising revenue of free to air TV.
Hanson-Young said the听听for a complete ban on wagering advertising across digital platforms, radio and television.
听补濒蝉辞听听federal Labor not to back any partial ban, saying he has been 鈥渋nundated鈥 by people across the country who want a ban on all gambling ads.
鈥淲e know from previous reforms that partial bans don鈥檛 reduce ads; they just move the ads around,鈥 Pocock said.听鈥淲e have a partial ban right now 鈥 and it hasn鈥檛 worked.鈥
Pocock described his briefing from听听office 鈥渦nderwhelming鈥 and said he saw no indication the government would commit to keeping the recommended child protection reforms.
This includes banning the use of celebrity endorsements, ads during family programs on TV,听gambling logos appearing on jerseys and stadium signage, and gambling ads on streaming services.
There is almost universal agreement these听听must be phased out.
As Hanson-Young suggested the current fight over gambling advertising may well be Australia鈥檚 National Rifle Association (NRA) moment.听听
The United States has long since decided that听听is more important than protecting children from听听preventable harm and death, as compromised politicians bow weak-kneed before their NRA donor-masters every election.
Implementing the Murphy reforms 鈥 which only ban the ads, not the betting itself 鈥 may well be the last chance to put paid to harmful child grooming practices in gambling advertising.听听
罢丑别听stakes could not be higher.听
Watering the recommended reforms down to keep gambling industry happy is a risky bet for Labor, given that its own Institute of Family Studies 听in 2021 that 7.2% of adults (or 1.3 million people) are at some risk of, or are already experiencing, gambling problems or harm.听
You win some, you lose more and when a gambler loses big, it鈥檚 their family and community that pay the debt.
[Suzanne James has a background in writing policy, governance, risk management and regulatory compliance frameworks and in legislative compliance application.]