Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, 16 Days of Activism is a powerful and unified campaign to eliminate gender based violence. Family violence is three times more likely to occur in families where there is problem gambling. In 2024, the government's rapid review of evidence based approaches to prevent gender based violence backed up the Murphy report with a recommendation to restrict gambling advertising, leading to a total ban. Prime Minister, when will the government act to ban gambling advertising?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Indi for her question and for the way she engages constructively with the government in representing her electorate and her political viewpoint. I do want to take the opportunity, because the question provides it to me, to mark what is day 2 of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. While this is a campaign for 16 days, I hope that everyone in this House can agree that we need to campaign on this for 365 days a year because every death and every act of violence against a woman is one too many. As leaders in this place we must renew our unwavering commitment to ending violence because the death of any woman is unacceptable. As Australians we mourn every one of the lives that have been lost this year. We know that for every life that we lose there are many more women and children whose lives are marred by violence, abuse or assault every day, and we must look to where we're falling short and find new ways of doing better.

Yesterday, Minister Plibersek announced an almost 40 per cent funding boost for 1800RESPECT so that, when people reach out for help, it's there to help them. We have the $4 billion National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children, which was agreed with the states and territories at a special meeting of the National Cabinet that I convened. It's why we've boosted and secured funding for frontline services and delivered more financial and housing support for women and children escaping domestic violence, because women shouldn't have to choose between poverty and violence. Too often, when women remain in violent relationships and they're asked, 'Why didn't you leave?' it's because they didn't have anywhere to go. That's why we created a special stream under the Housing Australia Future Fund as well. We know the causes of violence as—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will pause. The member for Indi asked about a pretty important topic, and the Prime Minister is giving a lot of information to the House. He is being directly relevant. Member for Indi?

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on relevance. I appreciate the Prime Minister's response in regard to gender based violence, which I know we all care about and the Prime Minister deeply cares about, and the government is doing a lot to respond. But the question went to the relationship between gambling advertising and gender based violence.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am responding very directly to the question. There is no question that the cause of violence can never be excused, but it many cases that is one of the issues, along with alcohol abuse and along with so many issues, that cause violence, and people put up their hand and say that is why. The truth is it can never be excused. That's the truth. The truth is that all of us, particularly men, have a particular responsibility because, when you look at the statistics, we must all know people, whether they are our friends or our neighbours, who engage in this sort of activity. I'll continue to engage constructively.

One of the measures that we have put in place to deal with problem gambling—and it's related to people being in a cycle where they feel like they can't get out—is BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register. That has seen 51,000 total registrations, of whom 38 per cent—people who feel like they can't possibly control it—have chosen a lifetime ban. That's one of the reasons why we did that. That's part of the motivation. I'll continue to work constructively with the member for Indi on all of these issues, and I thank her for the question.