Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in favour of the Greens amendment, as circulated by Senator McKim. I think it is appalling that, today, what we see is a stitch-up between the Labor Party—the government—and the coalition to shut down an inquiry into gambling advertising in Australia. Both the Labor Party and the coalition have gotten together today to stop the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Ban Gambling Ads) Bill 2024 going to an inquiry because they do not want this issue debated.

I don't know what has happened, between the Peta Murphy report recommendations being handed down and today, that has made the Liberal Party and the Labor Party so scared of the gambling lobby, so scared of the gambling companies and so scared to do anything that was recommended by the Peta Murphy report, which said the single most important thing you could do is stop the advertising of this harmful product. Gambling addiction kills. It ruins lives. It ruins families. It bankrupts businesses. Gambling advertising pushes a dangerous and deadly product, and it is pushing it down the throats of our children, our young people and, in particular, young men across the country.

We have heard expert after expert talk about how insidious and dangerous the advertising of gambling is. We've heard from parents who are crying out for regulation and help because gambling companies are getting straight into the hands of their young boys and their teenagers. We've heard directly from children themselves and from young addicted people about how hard it is to get away from being induced and bombarded by gambling advertising. We've heard the sorrows and the pain from families who have lost sons, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers because of the death that gambling addiction brings.

If you can't bring yourselves to stare down the gambling industry and to stop them from pushing this toxic, deadly product into the hands and faces of our children, you do not have the courage required to lead. It is time to stop the excuses, to do something to stop these gambling companies ruining our children's lives, ruining our families and bankrupting our community. Australians lose more money in gambling per capita than anywhere else in the world. We are addicted to the gambling industry. It takes political courage to do something about it.

The Prime Minister has a supermajority in the House. We've heard the opposition say that they care about this issue, that they are worried about the pain this is bringing to families. Well, stop dragging your feet. Today's blocking of this bill going to an inquiry just shows the lack of courage that both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party have. Stop being scared. Stand up for the Australian people and for the safety of our children.