Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

DANIEL () (): I second the member for Clark's motion. I'd like to make the point that this is not in any way an effort to humiliate the minister or to create a witch-hunt. In my mind, this is about ethics, transparency and integrity.

There are credible reports in the press that the minister received the donations that the member for Clark has referenced. The minister was asked about this by me in question time today. The minister did not answer the question. My aspiration is to get an answer to that question for this House and also for those in our communities who are incredibly concerned about problem gambling, about online gambling and about gambling advertising. Indeed, I would say that this is one of the most hot-button issues that I discuss. Whenever I raise it I am avalanched with people saying, 'Yes, we must do something about this.'

In that context, with an inquiry on foot, it seems, at the very least, appropriate that we receive a proper explanation from the minister about these donations. Indeed, the opacity around the donations and the fact that the minister didn't have to declare them—we found out about them because of a declaration from the company that gave them, which was Sportsbet—says a lot about the system of donation transparency.

The concern, to state the obvious, is that these kinds of donations can have a potential influence on decision-making. That can be very subtle. When a member is attending the kinds of events over time that the member for Clark referenced, that can lead to personal relationships and a slippage of the kinds of ethics and integrity that I'm talking about. Is this okay? Are we okay with members of this place receiving these kinds of donations from companies who prey on the most poor and vulnerable in our community and, not only them, our young people?

I have a deep concern, and so do many members of my community, about the normalisation of gambling among our teenagers through online gambling, particularly through Sportsbet's broadcast advertising. These are the kinds of things that the inquiry is looking at. This is the kind of policy that the minister is going to have to make decisions on. Therefore, we need to get to the root of these donations and get an explanation from the minister. The minister needs to take this seriously. The minister needs to explain this not just to this House but to the Australian people.

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