Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

T (—) (): Thank you for giving us an election manifesto from the New South Wales Greens. I'm not sure, Senator Rice, whether you were here yesterday when I pretty much answered an identical question from Senator Pocock. I could refer you back to my answer of yesterday, but I'm happy to go through it again today.

There is no doubt that the Albanese government recognises the importance of gambling promotions being presented in a responsible manner. We know the Greens know a little bit about gambling because we know who their donors have been. We also recognise that there is ongoing community concern about the harms associated with online gambling, including advertising material, and it is timely for the parliament to consider what more should be done to address this issue, and I hope that we can rely on the Greens' support despite their large donations from gambling interests. This is why we have established an inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.

As I mentioned yesterday, the online gambling inquiry is being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, which has been very capably chaired by Peta Murphy, one of our fabulous Labor MPs. The committee is considering the effectiveness of current gambling advertising restrictions on limiting children's exposure to gambling products and services—including through social media, sponsorship or branding—among a range of other issues. Of course, the government will consider the committee's recommendations when it releases its final report.

The current rules relating to the scheduling and content of advertisements on television are contained in the co-regulatory broadcasting codes of practice. Those codes are developed under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 by industry groups in consultation with the Australian Communications and Media Authority. There is some work to be done here. The Albanese government is on the job. There's a House committee on the job, and we look forward to seeing its recommendations. (Time expired)