Wilkie brands Albanese's gambling legislation 'useless' as losses top $104bn since Murphy review

The Albanese government is facing fresh pressure over gambling reform after Australians lost more than $104 billion in the three years since being handed the Murphy review, while the Greens and the Coalition have forced its proposed legislation to a Senate inquiry.

Labor introduced its long-awaited legislation to Parliament on 2 July, with the Prime Minister promising his government would “take the strongest possible action that any government has taken in history”.

Chaired by late Labor MP Peta Murphy, the Murphy Review on Gambling recommended 31 unanimous measures for a public health approach to gambling harm, including a total ban on all gambling advertising, a national regulator, and stronger consumer protections.

However, critics have argued the review’s flagship recommendations have largely been ignored, with Independent MP Andrew Wilkie describing the legislation as ‘useless’.

Mr Wilkie told Parliament the Murphy review was “without doubt the best blueprint for gambling reform this country has ever seen”, and there was no reason why the government shouldn’t accept all recommendations.

“Why is the government determined to run a protection racket for the gambling companies, for the media companies, and for the major sporting codes?” he asked.

“Is it because the government is gutless and scared stiff of the gambling companies, the media companies, and the sporting codes?”

Mr Wilkie campaigned heavily for gambling reform in 2010, calling on the Gillard minority government to adopt the Productivity Commission’s recommendation that all new electronic gaming machines be limited to $1 maximum bets.

“This time is completely different,” he said.

“The government has a thumping majority in the House of Representatives and, if it was to try and legislate and enact strong gambling reform, I do not doubt it would have the support of the Greens in the Senate.

“In other words, this time around, the government, the Labor Party, has a clear runway. There is no obstacle in the way to finally doing it.”

Research by the Australia Institute shows Australians lost over $104 billion to gambling between July 2023 and July 2026, which equates to an average of $666 million per week.

Chief Advocate of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Reverend Tim Costello, described the losses as a “national tragedy”.

“Behind this eye-watering gambling losses total that has been highlighted by The Australian Institute, lies social harm on an industrial scale including bankruptcies, family break up, domestic violence and suicide,” he said.

“It is even more tragic that after all this time since the Murphy Report was delivered, the long-awaited response from the Albanese Government is far too timid.”

The research showed Australia’s gambling losses have increased by 75 per cent since 2020, with the rates of online gambling rapidly increasing.

In 2024, more than one-third of Australian adults participated in online gambling, compared to just 8 per cent in 2017.

The mounting losses have prompted the Australia Institute to launch a National Gambling Toll.

“It shows the staggering financial losses that have amassed since the Murphy Review was released three years ago,” said Dr Morgan Harrington, Research Manager at the Australia Institute.

“How different could this picture be if a full ban on gambling advertising had been introduced straight away?”

Mr Wilkie said the personal cost was equally as devastating.

‘We’re meeting with families who have lost a loved one to suicide because of addiction,’ he told parliament.

He cited evidence presented to the Murphy inquiry that estimated gambling contributes to at least 400 suicides each year.

‘In other words, since the Murphy report was handed to the government, more than 1,000 Australians have died by suicide because politicians and governments have failed to act,’ he said.

“How can we live with that? How can we sleep at night?”

Independent MP Sophie Scamps sought answers during Question Time, asking the Prime Minister why the government had “chosen to protect the profits of gambling, media and sporting companies instead of implementing all the inquiry’s recommendations in order to save the lives of Australians?”

The PM said his government had done “more work than has been done by any government since Federation to crack down on gambling”.

The legislation proposes restricting gambling advertising by capping television ads until 8:30pm, banning gambling radio ads during school drop-off and pick-up times, banning ads at stadiums and on jerseys and cracking down on online, offshore gambling providers.

The Greens and the Coalition forced the bill to a Senate inquiry, with Greens spokesperson for Communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, arguing it’s “not the time for half measures or band-aid solutions”.

“The current legislation was severely undercooked. In its present form, it has failed children, failed families, and failed the broader community, while protecting the interests of big gambling companies,” she said.

The Albanese government needs support from either the Greens or the Coalition to pass the bill in the Senate, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting that some Liberal MPs want their party to take a strong line on the issue.

Mr Wilkie has called on Anthony Albanese to allow for a free vote.

“I say to the Prime Minister, if you’re not going to fix this, then get out of the way and let the Parliament fix it,” he said.