“Frustration” is growing in government caucuses about the delay in gambling advertising reform, according to a group of Labor MPs who want Communications and Sport Minister Annika Wells to act.
Documents recently released under freedom of information laws detailing Wells’ meetings with major TV broadcasters about betting bans show that her department accepted the popularity of the ad ban but was concerned about what it would mean for sporting codes and media companies.
Around a dozen Labor MPs are debating gambling reform, with some members saying the group is enjoying “groundswell” support.
Labor MPs backing the ad ban claim they have been seeking a meeting with Wells for months. Another MP said that some people feel that they are not being listened to.
“It’s fair to say there’s growing frustration among the people I’m talking to, and maybe the frustration is because they’re not having those conversations,” the MPs said.
“It’s not going away. It’s not just us driving it – there are other MPs driving it from outside the party and we have to do something about it.”
Sign up for: AU Breaking News Email
There is broad support for gambling reform across Parliament. Former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has committed to a gambling ad blackout for an hour before and after live sports broadcasts, but the Greens and independent MPs including Andrew Wilkie, Kate Chaney and David Pocock have pushed for reform.
The government came under pressure in June 2023 to respond to a committee report chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, which called for a phased ban on all online gambling advertising, along with more than 30 other recommendations.
Albanese Murphy defended the delay in responding to the review, saying his government had made more reforms to gambling than “any other in history”. He promised to “work” on the remaining issues, while expressing concern about the impact on the media company’s revenue.
A Labor MP said colleagues thought 2026 was the year to act on Murphy’s report and there was growing interest in tackling the issue.
Wells’ office has been contacted for comment. A government spokesman cited the introduction of BetStop – a national self-exempt register for licensed gambling services – and the ban on the use of credit cards for gambling as examples of Labor’s action on gambling issues.
“The Albany Government takes seriously our responsibility to protect Australians – particularly children and young people – from the harms of online gambling,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“We will continue to work to protect the public from the harms of Australian gambling. That’s why we continue to meet with harm reduction advocates, broadcasters and sporting codes as we strive to further reduce the harms of gambling.”
Labor MP Jerome Laxale wrote on social media last week that gambling reform was “unfinished business for this government”, adding: “We owe it to the communities affected by gambling every day to put this issue on the national agenda and deliver real change.”
Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh accused the government of “pulling the chain” since receiving the Murphy report nearly 1,000 days ago.
“The harm that gambling can do to individuals and their families is vast and widespread. From problems with relationships, the family home, work or education and to people’s physical and mental health. How long will the Albanese Labor Government sit on this report and do nothing while so many Australians suffer?” McIntosh said.
Documents released by the Department of Information on Freedom of Information Disclosure log WIN Corporation, including Foxtel and Nine Entertainment, detailed last month that “the Government will hold confidential consultations with key stakeholders … on a betting advertising reform model in late 2024”.
A briefing note prepared by the department acknowledged that the “bet advertising reform is controversial and stakeholders have differing views”. It said there was “broad support from the public, harm reduction advocates and some members of parliament” for a ban on gambling advertising. It also said a ban on advertising would have “financial implications for broadcasters and sports”, which generate “significant revenue” from broadcast rights deals and production fees from betting.
On Thursday, an investigation by the communications watchdog found that six betting agencies, including TabCorp and Picklebet, had breached Betstop rules that “protect registered persons”. Chaney said the government needs to do more, writing on X: “We need to stop letting these companies call the shots and properly regulate the industry. 949 days since the Murphy review and still no government response.”
Late last year, some gambling Industry sources say the government expects to update its plans in the summer. But senior sources, who said they had heard no further information during the summer holidays, said betting companies wanted to know what Labor was planning for the industry.
One source said the government had been in consultation mode for years, and they believed Labor could move quickly if it decided – but they thought public pressure for the government to act on gambling ads had softened. Gambling companies are preparing by changing how and where they advertise, the source said.
