‘How can it be?’ Church leader turns Albanese’s words against him

Anthony Albanese’s gambling reforms are facing a fresh backlash from church leaders, child advocates and broadcasters, with critics arguing the government’s crackdown still leaves the vulnerable exposed to betting advertisements while creating costly new burdens for Australia’s media industry.

A Senate inquiry into Labor’s gambling advertising laws will this week reveal growing pressure on the Albanese government from groups that say the reforms are a significant retreat from the landmark Murphy inquiry, alongside warnings from broadcasters that key provisions risk unintended consequences for public interest journalism.

Among the most pointed criticisms came from Anglican Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant, who questioned how Albanese could reconcile his promise to protect children with reforms that would still permit gambling advertisements during live sport.

“How can it be that the prime minister, who says he is ‘making sure Australian children don’t see betting ads everywhere they look’, still considers it appropriate for children to see three gambling adverts every hour on TV, including during pre-game and half-time broadcasting associated with live sporting matches?” Grant wrote in a submission to the inquiry.

Grant welcomed Labor’s ban on gambling advertising on sports uniforms, grounds and through celebrity endorsements but urged parliament to fully implement all 31 recommendations of the bipartisan Murphy inquiry, including a phased ban on all online gambling advertising and a prohibition on betting inducements.

“The parliament should never put the vested interests of big-business gambling and broadcast companies and big sporting codes over the public health and welfare of ordinary Aussies, especially our children, youth and young adults,” he said.

“As the Reverend Tim Costello said, we wouldn’t accept capping cigarette ads shown to children to three per hour so why would we say it’s OK for gambling ads?”

Albanese has defended his government’s approach to the issue, saying it sought to balance protecting children from gambling advertising with preserving adults’ freedom to bet.

He said last month he was “not against someone having a punt on a Saturday” but wants to tackle problem gambling – which he said was mainly pokie machines and regulated by state governments.

“I think we have gone far enough,” he said, adding that the approach was the right balance between doing nothing and a full ban.

The Murphy inquiry, chaired by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, recommended a comprehensive phase-out of gambling advertising across television, radio, online platforms and sporting broadcasts after concluding pervasive betting promotion was contributing to gambling harm.

Instead, Labor opted for a narrower package announced in April that bans gambling advertising on sports uniforms, at venues and through celebrity endorsements while restricting, rather than eliminating, betting advertisements around live sport.

Children and Media Australia, the national peak body representing children’s interests as media consumers, also urged the government to revisit its approach, describing the legislation as only “a first step”.

The organisation warned there would still be “significant exposure” to gambling advertising and argued only a full ban would adequately protect children.

Its submission cited growing evidence that childhood exposure to gambling advertising increased the likelihood of developing gambling problems later in life, while smartphones and online betting had brought wagering into family homes in ways unimaginable a generation ago.

It criticised Labor for failing to prohibit online gambling inducements and warned young men using sports apps and gaming platforms would continue to be bombarded with betting promotions.

The group also questioned why the government’s proposed public education campaign would target young men, First Nations Australians and culturally diverse communities but not children, parents or carers.

But while health advocates say Labor has not gone far enough, broadcasters warned the legislation risks overshooting its objectives.

SBS, a hybrid public broadcaster that carries limited commercial advertising, backed stronger gambling ad restrictions but warned the bill as drafted would effectively create a blanket ban on wagering ads across its digital services because it could not implement required age-verification technology before the proposed January start date.

SBS said its existing self-declared age system on SBS On Demand should satisfy the legislation, warning more sophisticated identity checks would be costly, complex and raise privacy concerns.

The broadcaster also cautioned the reforms could remove commercial revenue that helps fund trusted news, current affairs and Australian content, while disadvantaging local broadcasters against global digital platforms with established account systems.

It urged an 18-month implementation period, exemptions for free news websites and protection from liability for gambling content produced by wagering companies.

Free TV, representing commercial broadcasters including Nine Entertainment – the owner of this masthead, has argued the measures will have a “material impact” on advertising revenue that supports free services relied on by millions, while imposing significant compliance costs for online platforms.

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