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

Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (11:23): I thank members for their contributions to the debate on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 and the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026. The government will not support the member for Ryan's or the member for Curtin's second reading amendments, as they do not deal with the substance of these bills.

Thank you to my colleagues in the Labor caucus who have engaged sincerely and constructively on this important issue. I also thank the Labor rank-and-file members who built the Australian Labor Party platform and now rightfully recognise that reducing gambling harm is a priority of our party. Great things happen when lots of small things are brought together.

I also acknowledge the work of the Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee in considering these bills, and the members of the community—particularly the harm reduction advocates and the survivors of gambling harm—who gave evidence and gave much of themselves in coming to this place for the recent inquiry. As we have heard through the debate, for many Australians, gambling harm is not an abstract policy problem eased by parliamentary debate.

It is a parent worried about what their child is absorbing by watching sport. It is a friend trying to take that courageous first step away from secret gambling. It is a family dealing with the consequences when gambling stops being entertainment and starts becoming harm.

What we have before us is a significant and meaningful suite of reforms that will do more than any other Australian government has to protect children, families and communities from gambling harms. These reforms will minimise children's exposure to wagering advertising while reducing the overall saturation of advertising on television and radio and the targeting and saturation of advertising online.

The bill also contains provisions to disrupt illegal gambling operators and crack down on online lottery products. The bill also strengthens BetStop, the national self-exclusion register, so it can better support Australians at risk of gambling harm. The cost recovery levy bill enables the costs of a comprehensive national awareness campaign to be recovered from industry, ensuring more Australians know about BetStop and can access it when they need to with no cost to taxpayers.

Together, these reforms represent the strongest action to date on online gambling harm. The measures will commence from 1 January 2027, and we have consulted broadly with stakeholders to ensure effective implementation. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will be empowered with a range of strong and proportionate penalties to deter noncompliance with the new rules and act faster against illegal operators.

ACMA has also been provided with additional resourcing to strengthen BetStop compliance and enforcement and to support more awareness raising and system improvements. It is clear from this debate that the parliament has strong views on the prevalence of gambling advertising, along with the use of inducements by wagering service providers to target vulnerable customers.

I remain committed to working constructively across the parliament on sensible additions to strengthen this bill further. We want to see it passed, so see you next week for amendments. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Boyce ): In accordance with the resolution agreed on 12 August 2026, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.