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

At the request of Senator McKim, I move:

Omit "not be referred to a committee", substitute "be referred immediately to the Environment and Communications Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 29 June 2026".

Frankly, the gall of this government to block a bill that implements the previous recommendations of a Labor committee to put a ban on gambling advertising is just outrageous. This government seems to have forgotten everything it stands for. The government had made a previous commitment to reform gambling advertising in this country. Yet, three years down the track, they have done nothing. Today, they are in this chamber blocking a bill that does what they have previously called for from going to a proper legislative inquiry to make sure it does what it says it should do. I heard the argument from the minister that there's already been enough time spent on this issue. Yes, there has—but we still see nothing from the government.

Because the government has not acted, the Greens are. Because the government haven't done what they said they would do, it's been up to us in the Australian Greens to draft the legislation and put it to the chamber. When you're serious about getting a piece of legislation passed in the Senate, you put it to a legislative inquiry to make sure it does all the things that it needs to do. That is the purpose. It is proper governance. It's proper scrutiny. It's proper governing, something that this government could take a few lessons on. The whole idea of this gambling advertising amendment bill is to put a ban on gambling advertising, because we know that this is what's needed if we want to stop the suffering and to stop lives and families being destroyed by the insidious gambling industry.

There is nothing in this bill that says you're not allowed to gamble, by the way. It just says the big gambling industry can't advertise it, just like big tobacco can't advertise, because they're trying to sell a dangerous product. There is nothing more dangerous to so many Australian families, particularly young people and young men, than the insidious, harmful advertising that is thrust down their throats by the gambling industry. There are inducements that young people get on their mobile phones—even if they're known gambling addicts—begging them to get back on and have another bet.

The only people who want to stop this bill from going to an inquiry and then passing this parliament are the people making money off gambling addicts: the greedy, nasty parasites in the gambling industry. And who's doing their dirty work for them? Who's been the shill for the gambling industry? It's the Labor Party. Of course, when we move on these motions and they go to a vote today, we will see the Liberal Party doing exactly the same thing. I don't have much time for Peter Dutton—I don't have much time for him at all—but, at one point in time, he actually thought curbing advertising from the gambling industry was a good idea. Now, the Liberal Party seem to have forgotten that that was even a party policy. Why? Because the gambling industry pays millions of dollars in donations to both the Labor and Liberal parties. They have them by the neck, and the Labor and Liberal parties are as addicted to the gambling industry as some of the gambling addicts who desperately need help.

It's the Labor Party and the Liberal Party who are addicted to the gambling industry's money and to the greed of the gambling industry. If you want to take money off people who suck money out of the pockets of everyday Australians and feed off their misery, at least admit that's what you're doing.