Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026

Ms SITOU (Reid) (17:29): I have a lot of respect for the member for Kooyong, from her time before she came into this place and during her time in parliament, but it was pretty disappointing to hear her questioning the motives of what our government is trying to do here. I can say that all members of the Labor government, when we come to this place, are committed to serving our communities.

They are the people who drive us and they are the people we are squarely focused on. You have heard from previous members who have spoken up on this bill how passionately they feel about making sure that we are protecting those who have gambling as an addiction and that we are protecting children from making that connection between gambling and sports. You've heard from people who've sat down with their constituents and listened to really harrowing stories of the impact this has had on their lives.

So I'm disappointed to hear that some people are questioning the motives of people on this side of the House, on what we are trying to do. There are no easy solutions. This is a really difficult and challenging policy area, and we are trying to get the best outcomes for Australians here.

We, as a country, must decide what sporting culture we want to pass on to our children. For many Australian families, watching sport today is very different from what it once was. A child turns on the television to watch a game with their parents and, before the first whistle, they see betting odds.

At half-time, they see gambling advertisements. They open their phone, and the same advertisements appear again. By the end of the match, gambling has become part of the experience, and that's the problem.

Sport should be about the game. It should be about teamwork, belonging and pride. It should be about kicking a footy around the park, cheering from the sidelines and volunteering at the local club.

It should not be a vehicle for gambling companies to reach the next generation of customers. Yet, for many years gambling advertising has become woven into the fabric of Australian sport—not because families asked for it and not because communities wanted it but because it became profitable. The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 is about drawing a line in the sand and restoring balance.

It's about protecting children from growing up believing that gambling is simply part of being a sports fan. It's about supporting people who are experiencing gambling harm. And it's about ensuring that Australians can enjoy the sport they love without being relentlessly encouraged to place a bet.

At the parliamentary inquiry into online gambling last week, we heard powerful evidence from people whose lives have been turned upside down by gambling harm; people who lost savings, relationships and homes; and people who described gambling not as entertainment but as something that consumed their lives. The inquiry made clear that gambling harm is not simply an individual issue; it affects families, workplaces and communities.

Increasingly, it affects people through products and platforms that are available every hour of every day. That is one of the defining features of online gambling. It follows people wherever they go.

A poker machine stays in a venue, but a betting app sits in your pocket, on your phone, available all day, every day. For people experiencing harm, the challenge is not finding gambling; the challenge is escaping it. That reality should concern every member of this parliament, because gambling advertising does more than sell a service.

It shapes expectations, it influences behaviour and, over time, it changes culture. When children see gambling ads before, during and after sport, they receive a message, whether we intend it or not. That message is that gambling is a normal part of being a fan—but it shouldn't be this way.

That is why our government is acting. We have already taken important steps to reduce gambling harm. We established BetStop: Australia's national self-exclusion registry.

It means that registrants won't be able to access phone or online gambling and they won't receive direct marketing from gambling companies. More than 65,000 Australians have used BetStop to take control and seek help. Behind every registration is a person making a difficult but courageous decision.

An independent review into BetStop found that it's working: 96 per cent of registrants had stopped or decreased betting online, and 78 per cent had recorded an overall improvement in their quality of life after registering. Those outcomes matter because good policy is not measured by announcements; it's measured by the difference it makes in people's lives. There are further ways we can utilise and strengthen the great work of BetStop, and that's what this bill aims to do.

We know that this measure is helping people take control of their lives. This bill builds on the work that we have done with BetStop. It introduces some of the most significant gambling reforms Australia has seen in years.

It restricts gambling ads across television, radio and online platforms. It removes wagering ads from live sport during key viewing periods. It prevents gambling ads on radio during school drop-off and pick-up times.

It prohibits celebrities, athletes and influencers from promoting gambling products, and it removes gambling branding from jerseys and sporting venues. Taken together, these reforms are designed to achieve a simple objective: to ensure that Australians, especially children, aren't exposed to the amount of gambling promotion that we are currently seeing in our daily lives.

We are also focused on strengthening the measures in this bill that protect children from pervasive gambling ads. That must remain at the heart of this reform, because children should not have to navigate a sporting culture saturated with betting companies before they are old enough to understand what gambling is. The ban on celebrity and athlete endorsements is particularly important, because young people look up to sporting heroes.

They admire them. When professional athletes promote a product, the message can feel more like a recommendation than an ad. That influence is powerful, and it should not be used to encourage gambling.

The bill also recognises that modern ad battles are fought online. For many Australians, gambling ads do not simply appear occasionally; they follow them across social media, streaming platforms and websites. This bill recognises that harsh reality.

Australians should have greater control over what enters their lives, rather than having gambling promotions constantly forced on them. We also know that inducements can cause real harm. Offers designed to encourage people to open an account, place another bet or keep gambling can be particularly dangerous for people already at risk, and the need to address those harms was rightly recognised by the Labor rank and file in our Labor platform at our national conference this year.

I want to thank our Labor members, especially those from my electorate, for their advocacy in this space. Labor members across the country have listened to their communities and to people with lived experience and have continued to push for stronger protection. Consistent with that, we are focused on ensuring that this bill strengthens measures around limiting the harm caused by gambling inducements.

The reforms go beyond ads. The bill also targets illegal offshore gambling operators who seek Australian customers without meeting Australian standards. If a business wants access to Australian consumers, it should comply with Australian consumer protections.

The legislation strengthens enforcement powers and helps disrupt operators who attempt to avoid our laws. The bill also addresses harmful gambling products, including online keno—often described as pocket pokies. It closes loopholes that have been exploited through fake trade promotion lotteries and strengthens protections for consumers across the sector.

These are practical, targeted reforms and they are reforms designed to reduce harm. And some will say that the measures don't go far enough, but I would suggest the opposite. What has gone too far is the saturation of gambling ads in Australian life.

What has gone too far is the assumption that every sporting moment can be turned into a betting opportunity. What has gone too far is children learning betting terminology before they understand the rules of the game. This bill is about restoring balance.

Australians love sport because it brings people together, and I see that every week in my electorate at local football grounds, basketball and netball courts, cricket pitches, community clubs. People from different backgrounds, different generations coming together through sport; volunteers giving up their weekends; parents driving their kids to training; young people building confidence and lifelong friendships: that is the real value of sport.

That is what deserves promotion and protection. This bill reflects the recommendations of the parliamentary inquiry; it reflects the evidence; it reflects the voices of people who have experienced gambling harm firsthand; and it reflects the concerns raised by parents, educators, health experts and communities across Australia. I also want to acknowledge the late Peta Murphy, the former member for Dunkley, whose leadership helped bring this issue to national attention.

She challenged all of us in this parliament to listen to those affected by gambling harm and to have the courage to act. This legislation continues that work by putting children ahead of gambling profits, by putting people's lives ahead of unchecked ads and by recognising that reducing harm is not optional. It is our responsibility.

This bill won't eliminate gambling harm overnight, but it will make a difference to the people who need it the most.