Madonna Jarrett (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

Having a punt is a normal part of a weekend for many, and for many gambling can be enjoyed responsibly. But gambling can become a highly destructive addiction without the right safeguards and support measures in place. That's why Labor is advancing one of the most important public health and consumer protection reforms of our time and one of the most significant undertaken by this government: gambling reform.

Many of my constituents in Brisbane have reached out to me advocating for strong action on gambling. I've met many families and individuals whose relationships, finances and futures have been ripped apart by gambling addiction. Gambling can affect self-esteem, relationships, physical and mental health, work performance and social life. Gambling is everywhere you go. If you go to your local pub on a weekend, watch your kids play sport, watch your favourite sports or teams play on the TV, you see gambling. This legislation is not simply about gambling though; it's about protecting families, protecting children, protecting vulnerable Australians and ensuring that corporate profits don't come before the wellbeing of our communities.

As Australians, we really do love our sport. We love our AFL, our NRL, cricket, rugby, horse racing and countless local sporting clubs. But somewhere over the past couple of decades, something has changed. Sports became saturated with gambling. Children can barely watch a football match without being exposed to betting odds before kick-off, gambling advertisements during the break and commentators discussing markets as though betting was simply another part of the game. Labor recognises that this normalisation has gone too far. The Albanese government has responded with the strongest national gambling reforms Australia has ever seen, introducing the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, along with the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026, to dramatically reduce the exposure of Australians, particularly children, to gambling advertising while strengthening protections for those experiencing gambling. We need this balance. We need both sides. They acknowledge that gambling is a legal activity enjoyed responsibly by many adults while recognising that governments do have an obligation to minimise harm, in exactly the same way we regulate alcohol, tobacco and financial services.

One of the centrepieces of Labor's reforms is restricting gambling advertising. For years Australians have complained that gambling advertisements have become impossible to avoid. We have heard that this morning in this House again. Schedule 1 introduces a comprehensive package of reforms designed to reduce the prevalence of gambling advertising and better protect children and families from exposure to wagering promotions. The measures include legislating a ban on wagering advertising during the live broadcasts of sporting events between the hours of 6 am and 8.30 pm, as well as prohibiting the broadcast of betting odds during these times.

It's clear there is community concern about the volume of gambling advertising on television. In 2024, viewers could be exposed to as many as eight gambling ads within a single hour of programming. To address this, the government, through these bills, will introduce a cap of three gambling ads per hour between 6 am and 8.30 pm, ensuring that Australians are no longer inundated with wagering promotion. The reforms will also protect children during the daily commute by prohibiting gambling advertising on radio during school travel times. In addition, all gambling advertisements that are permitted to be broadcast will be subject to stricter requirements with harmful or misleading advertising practices prohibited.

Children should grow up admiring athletes not betting companies. Parents should be able to watch football with their kids without gambling advertisements appearing every few minutes, and sports should be about teamwork, should be about competition, should be about community, not encouraging people to place another bet. The government is committed to addressing the growing connection between Australia's love of sport and the increasing promotion of gambling. Today's gambling advertising is deeply embedded throughout the sport experience. Gambling logos appear on player uniforms and are at game venues, while gambling promotions are—

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