Second Anniversary of the Murphy Report (20 June 2025)
20 June 2025
The Hon Anika Wells Minister for Communications, Minister for Sport Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
By email: Anika.Wells.MP@aph.gov.au
Dear Minister,
Re: Second Anniversary of the Murphy Report
Two years have passed since your colleague, the late Peta Murphy, presented the “You Win Some, You Lose More” report of the Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs to the House of Representatives. The Committee report achieved a rare consensus, presenting 31 comprehensive recommendations aimed at better regulating online gambling in Australia. In those two years, Australians have lost more than $50 billion to gambling, but the Albanese government has failed to respond to the Murphy report. Australians hold the unfortunate title of being the world’s biggest gambling losers per capita. Each year, Australians lose more than $25 billion on gambling. On average, individual gamblers lose nearly $2,500 annually —roughly equivalent to the average household’s electricity bill. Gambling causes devastating social harm including financial loss, mental health issues, partner violence, family break-ups, and suicide. Online gambling is the fastest growing form of gambling, fuelled by saturation advertising at sporting events and in our media. In 2023, the inquiry heard powerful testimonies from individuals across the country about the devastating impact gambling has had on families - particularly on young people. Alarmingly, almost half of our young Australians have gambled by age 18 years. Urgent action is needed to protect children and young people online. Australia has a proud history of prioritising public health in advertising regulation; the banning of tobacco advertising by the Whitlam and Fraser governments serves as a useful and inspiring precedent. To that end, we urge you to provide a formal response to the 31 recommendations of the Murphy report. Most urgently, we ask for your immediate action on Recommendation 26, which calls for a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising of online gambling, to be introduced in four phases over three years. Research – and feedback from our constituents – consistently demonstrates overwhelming public support for this reform. Three in four Australians back a phased total ban on gambling advertising over three years. Four in five support banning gambling ads across social media, online platforms, stadiums, and players’ uniforms. A complete ban on online gambling advertising would garnish immediate, broad support from the public health and mental health care sectors, and from advocates for domestic violence prevention. A range of prominent sports people and community leaders, and many former federal and state leaders of this country, have expressed their support for the swift adoption and implementation of all 31 recommendations of the Murphy report. Members of the Albanese Government, Dutton Opposition, and the crossbench spoke in favour of such a ban in the 47th Parliament. As the Minister responsible for both Communications and Sport – as someone uniquely placed to lead transformative legislative reform in this area – we urge you to take decisive action on this important issue. We ask you to honour the generosity of the hundreds of Australians who contributed their experiences and expertise to the Murphy report, and who trusted their government to act in their best interests. We ask you to immediately commit to a total ban on advertising of online gambling on TV, radio, social media, new media, and digital platforms.
With warm regards,
Dr Monique Ryan MP Member for Kooyong
Kate Chaney MP Member for Curtin
Zoe Daniel Former Member for Goldstein
Senator David Pocock Senator for ACT
Dr Sophie Scamps MP Member for Mackellar
Andrew Wilkie MP Member for Clark
Zali Steggall MP Member for Warringah
Allegra Spender MP Member for Wentworth
Senator Fatima Payman Senator for WA
Nicolette Boele MP Member for Bradfield
Dr Helen Haines MP Member for Indi
Senator Lidia Thorpe Senator for Victoria
Senator Jacqui Lambie Senator for Tasmania