Australian gambling reform bill set for possible passage after Labor-Coalition deal
Labor and the Coalition have agreed on key amendments, clearing the path for the reforms to pass parliament.
Australia.- A tentative agreement between Labor and the Coalition has cleared the way for the government’s long-contested gambling advertising reforms to potentially pass both houses of parliament by the end of the week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament the changes would better protect Australians from inducements and direct marketing “without preaching to the community.” Opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said amendments would strengthens protections for families and children, arguing that the original bill “did not go far enough.”
However, several Coalition MPs, including Nationals backbencher Pat Conaghan, a member of a 2023 inquiry led by the late Labor MP Peta Murphy, have vowed to vote against the amendments. Conaghan said Murphy “would be disgusted” that the major parties had not adopted the inquiry’s core recommendations for a full ban on gambling ads.
