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

Mr CHAFFEY (Parkes) (10:39): I rise to speak to the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026. We know Australians are amongst the biggest gamblers in the world. They like to have a go, they like to take a chance and they love to see the long shot come from behind to in front of others despite all odds.

But there is a difference between having a couple of dollars on the Melbourne Cup and an addiction that leads to people losing their jobs, their homes and their families. There are people who can safely have a bet every now and then, and then there are those people that cannot put the brakes on, who fall into addiction. And the technology has made it easier and easier for us to lose everything.

In my maiden speech, when I was elected to parliament as the member for Parkes, I spoke about the strengths and the forbearance of my stepfather. My stepfather was a hardworking lucerne farmer who put in long hours to support the family that became his own. He provided financially for us, but it was never enough.

It would have been enough if it weren't for the gambling addiction of my mother. The extent of this addiction only became fully known to us in the family when she began to show signs of dementia at the age of 74. It was the only thing that stopped her addiction.

My mother's story is not only her story. It's my stepfather's story. It's my story.

It's my sisters' story. It's all of our family's story and our friends' story. Her gambling addiction led to other stresses and sorrows in our family—her violence towards my stepfather and all of the pain that went with that.

One disease led to another. There were financial stresses and emotional stresses. It impacted on every part of growing up and has left the scars that will remain with all of us forever.

This is the case for almost all Australians who are addicted to gambling. It would be a rare case for someone to suffer this addiction without it becoming a problem for all of those within their life. My mother found a way to gamble wherever she was, whenever she could, whether it was the pokies or the horses.

When she became less mobile in her elderly years, it was phone accounts. Today, you don't have to go down to the TAB or to the pokies to hand over your pay packet. You can do it online in the comfort of your own home.

You can do it secretly, unaware of or unwilling to acknowledge the damage it's doing to you or to your family. You can gamble all day, every day, spending every last dollar and then some. Gambling is accessible everywhere—in thousands of different forms, right across Australia.

The lure of a better bet or just forgetting your own life for a while is just too great for some of those who can't see it any other way. In the end, not only are Australians the biggest gamblers; they are also the biggest losers. The St Vincent de Paul Society submission on this bill stated that Australians lost $36 billion on gambling in the 12 months to March 2026.

That's $1,635 per adult. Instead of going into the budget for the rising power bills, for the mortgage payment, for the food, the fuel, the school fees, this money is being fed into pokies. It's being spent on scratchies and keno, on betting on horses and dogs and just about any other kind of sport, and straight off the credit card on online gambling.

Giving away money through gambling has unfortunately been normalised right throughout our country. This is despite the sad and terrible stories of so many ordinary people. Some of those stories we heard at last week's Senate inquiry.

Clubs and pubs have always held a place in regional communities as employers, as supporters of our community and as contributors to our economy. About 33,000 Australians work in the gambling sector, and it contributes billions of dollars in wages and economic activity. Gambling specific taxes add more than $10 billion into government budgets to go towards essential services.

Horseracing is not only an Australian tradition; it contributes more than $13 billion in economic activity. More than half of the 100,000 jobs in the industry are in regional areas. Charities, not-for-profit organisations and community programs benefit from gambling revenue.

There remains a place for clubs and pubs, there is no doubt about that. There remains a place for horseracing and for sponsorship and for responsible betting in Australia. It is the insidious practices in this sector that are the darkest part: the inducements held out to those who can least afford them, to those who are already in serious trouble.

Those practices tell people with an addiction to go on, to have another bet, that this one will 'pay for the rest' and asks them, 'What harm could it do?' We have heard, over and over again, the harm it can do, and it is considerable harm. The hearings also heard of inducements—such as illegal drugs, hotel rooms, sex workers, games tickets—to keep people gambling.

In whose world is this acceptable? Gambling companies are targeting those who have tried to get out of gambling, who have closed their accounts, luring them back into addiction. How is this justifiable?

They are offering free bets just to keep gamblers coming back and coming back and coming back again. People have turned to fraud, to stealing from family members and to hurting those around them just to put on the next bet. We need to take action against these inducements, these evil words whispered into the ears of those who are already on their knees.

Why do we need gambling ads during children's television? Why do we need to open the way for more gambling ads during online streaming or live sports? Why do we need businesses personally targeting those who are vulnerable, like my mother?

There are people throughout every town, in every community, who are impacted, and the true cost could be hidden for months or even years. The damage can be felt for generations. I know, in this place, we often disagree, but I also know that everyone here today, in this federal parliament, wants to make a positive difference to the lives of those who are suffering this terrible addiction.

All of us would like for no more people within Australia, or their families, to go through the damaging effects of gambling. I know that this damage is something we do not want for future generations. I want my children and my grandchildren to know the difference between having a flutter on the Melbourne Cup and handing over your family's hard-earned savings to gambling.

I want my grandchildren to grow up in a safe environment. We need stronger measures to ensure we help protect young people from becoming addicted to gambling. There has been too much delay.

It has allowed people to slip through the cracks. It has allowed families to go without and to face the fallout of a family member who has a serious addiction. I'm sure you've heard all about it, but it cannot be said enough: our approach as a coalition is based on three fundamental principles.

First, we are a free and fun-loving country, and Australians deserve choice. Second, adults must be responsible for their own actions and their own decisions. Third, we, as leaders in government, have a real obligation to protect those who are vulnerable, particularly children, from exploitation and harm.

These are principles that can work seamlessly together in many other areas. Australians are good people—strong, innovative, enterprising, family people—but, like any person around the world, there are people who are particularly vulnerable. We cannot throw the doors open to those who would take advantage of them.

They are taking advantage of not only the vulnerable but also the families who love them. There is a way to walk the line between protecting the vulnerable and the freedoms of all Australians, but it is not the way you see before you in this legislation. It goes further, but it does not go far enough.

While I support tougher measures, this legislation is a missed opportunity to go further and to get it right. I know from experience how deep the cut of gambling addiction can be. I feel very strongly that we should be sparing others from this pain.

Gambling causes immeasurable harm, a harm that can never be conveyed in dollars. It is important to see this important concern on the table. It is a pity that, in future years, this legislation will mean that it needs to be brought back, again and again, to be further improved.