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 SCARR (Queensland) (19:53): Minister, I note that you said the reviewer could be the department. I think this chamber needs to reflect on that. We just had confirmation from the minister that this statutory review, which is meant to be this wonderful check and balance in relation to the effectiveness of these provisions, could actually be undertaken by someone within the department—an internal review.

We don't know who it will be, but presumably they're marking the government's own homework. Given this package that has been delivered up to this chamber, what confidence can we have as a chamber that that statutory review will be sufficiently independent, will be sufficiently rigorous and will be conducted by people with the relevant expertise? In this regard, I note the amendment foreshadowed by Senator Pocock which calls upon a panel of reviewers with the relevant expertise, in terms of gambling harm, with respect to the marketing devices used by the gambling industry and with respect to their impact on children.

One of the benefits of the review which has been undertaken in relation to this legislation is that we have a pretty good record of all the wonderful experts who have undertaken research in this space over many, many years. But we have no comfort whatsoever from the review mechanism which has been proposed that (a) it will be independent (b) it will be conducted by relevant experts or (c) the public submissions will actually be published so that the public has a right to see what submissions are made, including from the gambling industry.

So what comfort can you provide, Minister, that there will be a rigorous, independent statutory review undertaken by appropriate experts? And why would the minister—I'm not talking about you here, Senator Chisholm; I'm talking about Minister Wells—possibly consider that a statutory review undertaken by the department would be appropriate?