Independent MP Kate Chaney is pushing for stronger federal gambling reforms, including an independent review of the government’s proposed restrictions, as medical experts warn Labor’s current approach does not go far enough to reduce gambling harm.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has joined calls for tougher laws, with addiction medicine chapter president Professor John Saunders arguing the proposed reforms fall short of what is needed. He said the government’s approach was disappointing both for public health professionals and, more importantly, for people experiencing gambling-related harm and their families.
A 2023 parliamentary inquiry led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy recommended a complete phase-out of gambling advertising and received cross-party support. However, only a limited number of its 31 recommendations have since been implemented.
Saunders compared gambling reform with previous public health measures targeting tobacco, saying governments had clearer incentives to act when the financial costs to healthcare services were easier to identify. He stressed that gambling addiction should not be dismissed as a matter of poor personal choice, arguing it creates brain responses comparable with other addictions.
He also pointed to the severe consequences he had witnessed, including suicides and lives cut short, while noting Australia has exceptionally high gambling losses.
Negotiations between Labor and the Coalition are continuing, with some Coalition MPs pressing for stronger measures. Opposition frontbencher Tim Wilson said legislation should balance individual rights and freedoms with the need to protect children from exposure to gambling advertising.
Liberal MP Simon Kennedy has backed an independent review of the policy after the next federal election, aligning himself with a proposal from Chaney. Chaney argues that such a review would ensure the effectiveness of partial restrictions is properly assessed and could ultimately force the government to adopt stronger measures.
“When further evidence shows that partial bans just move the money around, then the government will have to actually face up to that after an independent review,” Ms Chaney told AAP.
Her comments reflect concern that limited advertising restrictions may simply shift gambling companies’ spending between different platforms rather than substantially reducing public exposure. An independent review, in Chaney’s view, would create a formal mechanism for examining whether the reforms are genuinely reducing harm and whether more comprehensive restrictions are required.
The debate comes as pressure builds on the federal government from doctors, independents and sections of the Coalition to respond more fully to the Murphy inquiry’s recommendations. Labor is seeking to progress its gambling legislation during the current parliamentary sitting period, with debate scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.