Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026

Ms WELLS (Lilley—Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications) (16:15): I thank the member for Kooyong for moving these amendments. The government will not support the amendments. We do not support imposing new reporting obligations through this bill.

These amendments would create a new regulatory reporting regime for sporting, cultural and recreational organisations with annual turnover above $50 million requiring disclosure of gambling related revenue and publication by ACMA. This proposal is outside the scope of the bill's aim to directly reduce harm from gambling and would impose additional compliance and administrative burdens without a demonstrated impact.

The government agrees that more must be done to stop gambling advertising from proliferating online. The restrictions introduced by the government ban wagering advertising online by default, unless online content services implement the triple lock requirements—that is, users must be over 18 years of age, logged into an account and have not opted out of wagering advertising.

The government takes seriously our responsibility to protect Australians, particularly children and young people, from the harms of online gambling. The government has supported an amendment to establish a wagering advertising opt out register to provide individuals with a one stop shop to opt out of receiving all wagering advertising content. We have worked constructively with the opposition and the crossbench to consider practical amendments to this bill, and I'd like to thank my shadow counterpart, Senator Henderson, in the other place for working with me diligently over a number of weeks in order to get this ready for consideration today in the House.

I thank you for your conscientious work, Senator Henderson, and I thank the House. Question negatived.