Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do have some friends—as well as some of the people who work around this place and some of my staff, because it is in the nature of Australians to have a harmless flutter. But what has been raised tonight is correct: the addictions need to be recognised, when people take their gambling habits way too far. Both the Greens senators and Senator Stephens, I think, earlier indicated the problem with gambling in this country. Problem gamblers lose on average $21,000 a year. You would wonder how they can survive in their households or their communities with those sorts of losses in a year. That is why this government is acting decisively on this issue.

The government is taking action to reduce the promotion of live odds during sports coverage. Working with the broadcasting industry, we have proposed amendments to their codes of practice. Under those principles agreed between industry and the government, there will not be promotion of live odds by commentators at any time during a sports broadcast. That is what is being proposed, will be implemented and, I am convinced, will be successful in addressing this issue with live odds during sports coverage. There will also be no advertising of live odds during play, with clearly identified ads restricted to scheduled breaks in play, such as half-time. The government preference generally is for action to be taken through the co-regulatory framework to broadcasting regulation. For now, the government will evaluate the effectiveness of measures proposed by the broadcasting industry before considering any further action such as legislation in this space. For this reason, we do not support the Greens' motion at this time.

The government recognises that problem gambling and the relationship between sport and gambling is a serious issue. We have acted and we continue to act across a range of portfolios to address this issue. We understand the concerns in the community that Senator Di Natale proposes to address and has raised here this evening. Sporting bodies, broadcasters and the gambling industry all have an important role to play to ensure our sports do not become swamped with gambling messages to the point where sport and gambling are seen as one and the same. No-one wants that—not the community, not the sports and not the Australian government. So, once again, under the principles agreed between industry and the government, there will be no promotion of live odds by commentators at any time during a sports broadcast.

More broadly, this government has legislated to reform poker machine regulation. As we know, the legislation requires precommitment technology to be available on every one of Australia's 200,000 poker machines, introduces a voluntary precommitment system to help players set limits and keep track of their spending, and introduces a maximum daily withdrawal limit of $250 on ATMs in gaming venues. The government's minister, Senator Conroy, in March of 2013 responded to the review of the act that governs online gambling: the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. He has committed to the development of a national standard for harm minimisation and consumer protection for online gambling. He is working with the states and territories on a harmonised approach to regulating in this space.

Government has acted to stamp out match-fixing in sport. In 2011, the Gillard government reached an agreement with states and territories to introduce a national policy on match-fixing in sports. The government recognises that problem gambling is a serious issue, which is why we support responsible advertising by broadcasters and industry. That is why we have taken action to ensure that the promotion of live odds in sports broadcasts is reduced and controlled. The promotion of live odds during sporting events is unacceptable. The Commonwealth government has taken action to reduce and control the promotion of live betting odds during sport coverage.

The federal government has worked with the broadcasters on amendments to the broadcasting industry co-regulatory codes of practice, which are enforced by the ACMA. On 29 June 2012, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy announced that the Australian government had secured an agreement with commercial and subscription broadcasters to reduce and control the promotion of live betting odds during sports broadcasts. State and territory governments have also committed to look at the steps. They could take on a limited promotion of live odds on sporting grounds, such as on scoreboards or by ground announcers. People do not want odds shoved in their face when watching sport, and that is where these new restrictions address this issue.

This agreement, which was struck last year, forms the basis upon which the broadcasters have promised amendments to their codes of practice. Looking at how the proposed amendments restrict the promotion of live odds, the amendments to the code will prohibit commentators from promoting any live odds at all during the broadcast and 30 minutes before and after the match begins and ends. It will restrict the promotion of odds to scheduled breaks that are played during a sporting event, such as: half-time at the rugby, quarter-time at the AFL or at the end of a set in tennis. This means there will be no promotion of live odds when the match is actually in play. That is the last thing I want to see during a State of Origin match. It will also provide the promotion of odds during a scheduled break in play, where it will be clearly distinguished by gaming representatives.

Since the agreement between the government and the broadcasters in June last year that established these principles, broadcasters have largely abided by them—although the amended codes are not yet in place, with the exception of the Tom Waterhouse incidents. The amendments to the codes have been proposed by the broadcasters and were released for public consultation on Monday, 28 April for a period of four weeks. We encourage interested members of the public to go to the websites of the peak bodies for broadcasting Free TV, ASTRA and pay TV to find out more. If people choose, they can make a written submission to express their views on the proposed amendments. The amendments will then be submitted to the ACMA and, if approved, will be registered and enforced by the regulator.

The radio industry, through Commercial Radio Australia, publicly released its proposed amendments for comment in December last year. The consultation window for CRA's amendments has now closed. So the government's preference, in general, is for action to be taken through a co-regulatory framework for broadcasting regulation.