Government unveils last-minute gambling reforms ahead of critical new report

In a last-minute effort to address gambling reform, the Labor government unveiled sweeping changes to its proposed legislation, just hours before a critical Senate committee report was released. The report, which slammed the government's attempt to protect vulnerable individuals from gambling addictions as being "too little, too late," criticized the reforms for failing to adequately break the connection between betting and sport, as well as not protecting children from gambling exposure.

The Greens and independent senator David Pocock were among those who criticized the reforms in the report. The government responded by announcing amendments, including restrictions on inducements and limited commissions for affiliate agents. These changes were made in response to concerns from the Greens, who had initially opposed the bill in its earlier form.

The government also pledged to create an opt-out register for gambling ads, similar to the Do Not Call register for spam calls, and imposed a levy on gambling companies to cover the cost of the register. However, critics, including the coalition and the Greens, argued that the government's response was delayed and lacked the necessary changes recommended in a 2023 report by late Labor MP Peta Murphy.

The amendments are expected to be debated on Tuesday, with the coalition yet to publicly commit to supporting the package.