Bipartisan deal on gambling includes a review after three years

Federal parliament is finally rushing through a package of gambling reforms, after a deal between the government and opposition that includes a review of the operation of the measures after three years.

The government agreed to somewhat toughen its original plan with changes that include banning inducements for 90 days after Bet-stop deregistration, an extension of the live sport blackout to 15 minutes before a game, and a ban on commissions for any staff or agent or affiliate of gambling companies.

Other changes agreed to include: moving the start time of broadcast restrictions from 6am to 5am maintaining current gambling advertising restrictions on live sport on online streamers, even with triple lock making the gambling industry pay for global opt-out register and inducement enforcement mandating compliance with the global opt-out register for online advertisers ensuring opt-out must be prominent and impose tougher penalties when it is not banning direct marketing to red-flagged customers legislating a ban on ads in programming targeted at children banning direct marketing 14 days after account sign up allowing broadcast rules for online simulcasts and provide targeted exceptions for racing events banning illegal ads on social media and provide ACMA with take-down notice powers.

The legislation starts from January 1.

The review after three years was pressed for by shadow assistant minister for finance Simon Kennedy, who has taken much of the public lead for the opposition in pushing for the legislation to be strengthened.

But the changes did not go far enough for some in the Coalition.

Six raised concerns in the Coalition joint parties meeting.

Three – former frontbencher, senator Paul Scarr, former speaker Andrew Wallace and Pat Conaghan – reserving their right to cross the floor.

Later, after Prime Minister Albanese introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives, Wallace and Conaghan initially crossed the floor on the Coalition’s amendments.

Conaghan, a Nationals backbencher and former deputy chair of the seminal parliamentary inquiry into gambling under the late Peta Murphy, attacked the measures as not going far enough.

He told the media: “The best thing that Labor could do is implement the report in full”.

Wallace told News24 there was a need to break the nexus between the sports gambling companies and sport.

Shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson said: “The Coalition has worked constructively to strengthen Labor’s bill.