Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Regional Development) | Hansard source

I want to start by saying that I didn't catch the name of the person you were referring to in regard to someone who took their own life because of a gambling addiction. I pass on my condolences to that family and to anyone out there who's listening and who's been impacted by that as well. At the same time, I acknowledge the role that they've played in this reform process over a number of years. It has been important and impactful on government and on others as part of this debate, I'm sure.

On the changes around inducements, we've had a number of discussions across the chamber on this. The changes that we have here are significant and meaningful, and they have been based on a number of iterations. Obviously, I've mentioned before the role that the national ALP conference played in people raising these issues. Senator Henderson has made a contribution to this as well. There's no doubt that the reforms that we have in here are significant and will make a meaningful difference. To reiterate what they are, the reforms ban direct marketing of inducements on red flagged customers, they ban direct marketing of inducements for 14 days after opening a new account and they ban direct marketing for inducements during a cooling-off period for 90 days following BetStop deregistration. Then there are other changes that we've made as part of this bill.

I understand the point that you're making. The government has moved in this area. These will be substantial reforms that are going to make a difference. As I've been saying consistently, we make no apologies for wanting to hold these gambling companies to account for their behaviour.