Online gambling regulator not on the cards: Rishworth
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth reveals the proposal to establish a regulator in conjunction with states and territories is not on the agenda, as Labor continues to resist calls to toughen its reforms to the wagering industry.
A national online gambling regulator is not on Labor’s agenda, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has revealed, as the Albanese government continues to resist calls to toughen laws for the wagering industry.
The proposal to establish a regulator in conjunction with states and territories was among the 32 recommendations made by a parliamentary inquiry into the harms of gambling, led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, with the body to hold responsibility for all licensing and supervision of the industry.
In its final report, handed down in June last year, the committee recommended the regulator be established as “a matter of priority”, along with a levy on online wagering service providers to fund harm reduction measures.
But speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Ms Rishworth said the establishment of the regulator, which would require states and territories to cede their powers over the industry to the Commonwealth, were not part of discussions.
“At this point that is not in the discussions with states and territories,” Ms Rishworth revealed.
“What is in the discussion with states and territories is around how we better co-ordinate and move forward a unified effort when it comes to harm minimisation when it comes to online gaming.”
She said she was not suggesting states “hand over those powers” necessary to establish the regulator.
Asked about a recommended advertising campaign to target children about the ills of online gambling, Ms Rishworth confirmed the proposal was still being discussed.
“That’s something we’re looking at very carefully on how we best get the message out, the community message out about the dangers of online gambling.”
It comes as Labor faces pressure from advocates, the crossbench and even its own MPs to crack down on gambling advertising.
NSW MP Mike Freelander last month raised concerns with a “softening” towards gambling companies and was one of many government MPs calling on a blanket ban as opposed to a cap on gambling ads during general TV programming, which is understood to be Labor’s plan.
ACT independent David Pocock sought to pass an urgency motion on the issue during the last senate fortnight, but despite receiving broad support from the rest of the crossbench he was ultimately unsuccessful.
Despite the pressure to ban gambling advertising, the government has argued doing so would mean a significant reduction in revenue for traditional broadcasters and ultimately lead to free-to-air and regional news outlets being “killed off”.
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