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

Senator DAVID POCOCK (Australian Capital Territory—Independent ACT Whip) (18:39): Minister, many people take offence when the government just makes stuff up. There is no evidence that three ads per hour will stop the normalisation of gambling amongst young people. That is not somehow getting the balance right; that's just the government saying, 'We're aiming to do that, but we have no evidence to do that.' In fact, Professor Samantha Thomas and her colleagues from Deakin University submitted to the inquiry that there is zero evidence of which they are aware that supports three ads per hour as a safe or proportionate number of ads for children.

We wouldn't allow three tobacco ads for children. They cited an ABC investigation which found that children 10 to 17 years watch TV in far greater numbers during evening prime time compared to the morning or afternoon slots. So children are likely to see quite a few ads before 8.30 pm and then directly afterwards, when they are still up.

In relation to Friday night footy, which I know is a concern for a lot of parents—they love watching Friday night footy, but they hate these damn ads and they expected they'd have a government that would actually listen to them and get rid of the ads—there is published, peer reviewed evidence which shows children will stay up after 8.30 pm to watch an entire game.

Minister, on what basis did your government make this decision that children go to bed or stop watching TV at 8.30 pm? And how can you seriously be telling us that this is somehow getting the balance right, if there is no evidence to back you up on that?