Crossbench MPs call for minister to resign portfolio over Sportsbet donations

Crossbench MPs have called for Labor’s minister with responsibility for online betting regulation to resign her portfolio for receiving $19,000 in donations from Sportsbet on the eve of last year’s federal election.

However, the government defended Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s integrity and argued she had acted appropriately.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says she complied with donation disclosure rules.Credit: Rhett Wyman

The Greens and independent MPs rounded on Rowland in parliament on Thursday after this masthead reported she received donations from the betting giant while in opposition. They included an $8960 dinner at Sydney’s Rockpool restaurant in March last year and $10,000 to Rowland’s campaign on May 19 when she was shadow minister in the same portfolio.

Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie, Greens Senate leader Larissa Waters and independents Zoe Daniel, Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney and Rebekha Sharkie all raised questions on Thursday about whether the payments created a conflict of interest.

Wilkie, who has spent much of his career lobbying against gambling firms, added that Rowland had accepted tickets from Tabcorp to the Melbourne Cup and a rugby match since becoming minister.

“Until she explains herself, we cannot have confidence in her as minister. We can’t have her stay in her office a moment longer making decisions about … gambling companies as this cloud hangs over her,” Wilkie said in parliament.

“If the prime minister is fair dinkum about restoring integrity in this place, and I believe he is … then he will act decisively to dismiss the communications minister if she doesn’t have the honour to resign herself.”

Daniel asked Rowland to explain her actions in question time.

In response, Rowland read a written statement saying she complied with donation disclosure rules.

“We’re committed to reducing harms from online gambling,” she said.

Rowland was strongly defended by minister and government leader of the House Tony Burke, who said crossbench MPs had not made the case that Rowland breached the rules.

He told parliament there was no evidence Rowland had favoured wagering firms in her decision-making and she had, in fact, done the opposite by leading the government’s harm-minimisation agenda in the face of industry lobbying.

“The minister for communications is a person of extraordinary ability and impeccable integrity,” he said. “I have known the minister for many, many years.”

Although Rowland was not a minister at the time of the Sportsbet donations, Sharkie accused her in parliament of breaching clause 3.21 of the ministerial code of conduct, which states: “Ministers must not seek or accept any kind of benefit or other valuable consideration either for themselves or for others in connection with performing or not performing any element of their official duties as a minister.”

Gambling reform advocate Tim Costello said confidence in the minister had been lost because of the donations.Credit: Simon Schluter

Tim Costello, chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to remove Rowland from her portfolio.

The prominent anti-gambling advocate claimed his organisation had been unable to secure meetings with Rowland, a claim this masthead could not immediately confirm.

“To now discover she was taking funds from Sportsbet means we have all lost confidence in her,” he said in an interview with this masthead. “She should step down.”

Waters said in a statement it was untenable for Rowland to continue regulating some areas of gambling, which she does through her oversight of the Interactive Gambling Act and the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Sportsbet and the online gambling peak body are lobbying Rowland on matters related to the act and the media authority.

“It is clearly untenable for the minister to remain as gambling regulator when she has such a cosy relationship with betting agencies, despite our donations laws being so weak that they have not been broken,” Waters said. “These donations are an insult to voters and gambling reform advocates across Australia.”

Daniel said she did not intend to humiliate Rowland or engage in a witch-hunt.

“This is about ethics,” she said in parliament. “This is one of the most hot-button issues I discuss whenever I raise it.”

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