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

Ms PENFOLD (Lyne) (19:28): I rise to speak on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026. I want to start by making my position clear: I am not anti gambling. I'm not arguing that gambling should be banned.

That would make me something of a hypocrite. I buy lotto tickets and sometimes play the pokies. I worked in a casino for a couple of years.

Part of my job was supplying drinks and coffee to keep people at betting tables. I participate in a footy tipping competition, and, when I'm trying to work out who to back in around, I sometimes look at the betting odds to see what the market thinks. This isn't about stopping adults from having a bet.

Adults should be allowed to make their own choices, and this parliament should steer clear of nanny state politics. This is about something different. It's about whether gambling companies should be allowed to relentlessly push people to gamble, whether our kids should grow up believing betting is simply part of watching sport and whether people already struggling with gambling should be pursued with inducements designed to keep them betting.

There's a difference between giving someone the opportunity to gamble and actively encouraging them to do so. The evidence tells us gambling advertising isn't simply providing information; it's designed to influence behaviour. The Parliamentary Library points to research showing the relationship between exposure to gambling advertising, increased gambling activity and gambling related harm.

The landmark Murphy inquiry report, You win some, you lose more, also heard extensive evidence about the normalisation of gambling through sport. The late Peta Murphy and her bipartisan committee concluded Australians were being subjected to a torrent of gambling advertising and recommended a phased approach, ultimately leading to a comprehensive ban on online gambling advertising.

Importantly, its first phase targeted inducements and inducement advertising, and inducements are one of my biggest concerns.