Members of the Parliamentary Sports Club gather for a social soccer match. Photo: Heather Garriock/LinkedIn
“The first part of the problem is how the gambling lobby undermines sports in Australia. The second is that the major parties are constipated in their approach to the gambling industry,” writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE.
ACT senator David Pocock whipped up a cyclonic storm when he was temporarily banned from the Parliamentary Sports Club.
Michael Moore.
Imagine the former captain of the Australian Rugby team being given the flick from the sports club of the federal parliament. Makes no sense!
Perhaps that is why the prime minister moved to have the ban lifted.
The reality is that the senator was exposing the insidious nature of lobbying by the gambling industry. And the major parties fiddle at the edges when they know what needs to be done.
As Senator Pocock pointed out: “The Parliamentary Sports Club’s sponsors include the peak body for gambling companies like SportsBet, Responsible Wagering Australia, whose CEO is a regular participant in matches with parliamentarians”.
It is no surprise that David Pocock loves being involved in all types of sports – not just rugby. Crikey published a photo of MPs and senators at a friendly football match with Pocock kneeling at the front.
The first part of the problem is how the gambling lobby undermines sports in Australia and uses sport simply to fill their coffers. The second is that the major parties are constipated in their approach to the gambling industry.
It turns out that David Pocock “was shocked to learn that the Parliamentary Sports Club was selling access to parliamentarians to companies and their representatives”.
He explained: “It’s no wonder we haven’t seen the action to end gambling advertising the majority of Australians are desperate to see when gambling lobbyists are calling the shots in Canberra.”
I have written on innumerable occasions regarding the relationship in Canberra between poker machines, the Labor clubs and the Labor Party. Some changes have been made in the arrangements and there has been a reduction in the number of poker machines allowed in the territory. There is more to be done.
Unhealthy industry donations to political parties creates a problem for our democracy. Look at the impact of huge donations for both Democrats and Republicans and how they have distorted the democracy of the US.
Restrictions on political donations and on political spending are already being implemented with leadership from the ACT and SA. Let’s just hope that such donations and influence become a thing of the past sooner rather than later.
On a per capita basis, Australians are the biggest losers in the world when it comes to gambling. Wayne Peak, of Western Sydney University, set out the issues in The Conversation in April.
Chart: The Conversation, source The Grattan Institute.
The Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs report You Win Some, You Lose More was submitted to parliament by Labor Party MP, the late Peta Murphy in June 2023.
The 31 recommendations of the committee “apply a public health lens to online gambling to reduce harm to Australians”.
A major concern at the time was expressed by Ms Murphy when she said: “Gambling advertising and simulated gambling through video games, is grooming children and young people to gamble and encourages riskier behaviour.
“The torrent of advertising is inescapable. It is manipulating an impressionable and vulnerable audience to gamble online”.
“A phased, comprehensive ban on online gambling advertising is recommended within three years. This will give major sports and broadcasters time to find alternative advertisers and sponsors, while preventing another generation from experiencing escalating gambling harm.”
The government has yet to respond. And therein lies the problem. On occasions, both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party make the right noises on this issue. However, the level of gambling advertising, particularly during major sports events, continues unabated.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, from Tasmania, has pursued this matter for years. Other Independent MPs and senators, along with The Greens have also sought to implement advertising restrictions.
Labor Minister Anika Wells claims Labor has taken serious actions. These include mandatory customer ID verification for online wagering, banning the use of credit cards for online betting, forcing online gambling companies to send their customers monthly activity statements outlining wins and losses, and direct funding for specialist financial counselling to support people affected by problem gambling.
These are important small steps, but as Peta Murphy pointed out, what is needed most urgently is to seriously limit all forms of gambling advertising. When the major parties act on this, we will know that the lobbying influence exposed by Senator Pocock has not won the day.
Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.