Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I'd like to start by firstly thanking and commending the chair, the member for Dunkley, for her words in presenting this report from the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs. It has been a pleasure to work side by side with her, as it was with the entire committee. It was good to see a committee working together to work on policy that will change people's lives. And that, I believe, will happen and must happen.

Since my election in 2019, I've consistently received calls from constituents—parents—relating to the proliferation of online and free-to-air gambling ads and the apparent lack of any sensible regulation in the arena. I've also spoken to concerned parents who lamented the relentless streaming of loot boxes, games and social casino apps that would pop up on their children's video games, and I've heard from desperate family members of those negatively affected by gambling, asking for help from others to stop them from falling in the gambling trap. That's why this inquiry was so important, and I think it could be said that every member in this House would have received those telephone calls, those emails and that correspondence.

Unlike more traditional modes of gambling, online gambling is instantly accessible 24 hours a day, and its regulation is inherently difficult, due to the reach and ever-evolving nature of the digital environment. It is also more open to insidious practices that are able to flourish without regulation and classification. We heard from members of the public who are directly affected by gambling harm and we heard from family members who have been affected through tragic circumstances. I applaud and commend their courage for coming forward to allow us to see the real impact, not just anecdotally, and hear those tragic stories. I thank all of you for coming along and providing your submissions and the evidence we heard so we could make an informed view.

The recommendations put forward by the standing committee go directly to answering those concerns. Importantly, these recommendations are not aimed at removing an individual adult's right to bet and they are not aimed at reducing Australian freedoms in relation to responsible gambling. What they are specifically aimed at is protecting our most vulnerable from experiencing gambling harm.

The recommendations include ongoing educational programs aimed at youth, parents, those currently experiencing gambling harm and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. They cover labelling and classification of apps and games. They include the implementation of technological solutions to identify and block problematic offshore gambling sites. They include comprehensive bans on all forms of advertising for online gambling outside the dedicated racing channels and programming. Our kids should not be bombarded with gambling messaging while watching their sporting heroes or watching the nightly news. They include the national regulation of available payment methods for online gambling, prohibiting methods that do not minimise the potential for criminal activity or gambling harm. One of those was to ban the use of credit cards and credit facilities, and we were all in agreement that you should not be gambling with money that you don't have.

These are just a few examples of recommendations contained within the comprehensive report. Each of these recommendations provided are pragmatic, actionable, achievable and will drive positive change in the protection against gambling harm. I'd like to thank each member of the standing committee for their contributions to the report and the bipartisan approach taken by all involved. I echo our massive thanks to the secretariat. We couldn't do it without you. Thank you.

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