Will 2026 see change to Gambling Advertising in Australia? The answer has to be ‘No’ if new Government Freedom of Information responses to Rex Patrick are anything to go by.
28 June 2023 was the day the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs handed down its report into ‘online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm’.
The Inquiry commenced after a referral from the Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth, and was chaired by a Labor MP, the late Peta Murphy. Murphy skilfully steered the inquiry and generated a report, ‘you win some, you lose more’, that achieved bi-partisan support.
The report made 31 recommendations around consistent national consumer protection, online gambling regulation, gambling advertising, research and data, illegal offshore gambling, and simulated gambling games.
Recommendation 26 emerged as the most high-profile recommendation, calling for a four-phase total ban on gambling advertising across all platforms.
Total silence
2023, 2024, 2025 … we’re now into the year 2026 and there’s still no Government response to the report. The Committee’s website says it all “This inquiry currently has no Government Response documents.”
Gambling Inquiry Web Page (Source: Parliament of Australia)
More than two and a half years have passed since the Murphy inquiry report was tabled in Parliament and still no response from the Albanese Government.
To be precise, as of 2 January 2026, that’s 919 days of policy paralysis.
Even the gambling industry has now come out calling for ‘certainty’, one way or the other (this is not to be taken as an MWM sympathy call for the industry).
Industry not idle
A Freedom of Information (FOI) response from the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells and her department have revealed industry lobbying that’s been taking place.
Murphy Report on gambling reform delayed by sports bet lobby
Shortly after Labor’s 2025 election win, the large media companies were making their gambling income case to Government.
On 25 June 2025 both WIN Corporation and, separately, Foxtel met with Minister Wells to talk about wagering advertising.
Meeting Brief for WIN Corporation (Source: FOI)
On 23 July 2025, Nine Entertainment met with the Prime Minister and Minister Wells for 20 minutes. Gambling advertising was the key topic.
Meeting Brief for Nine (Source: FOI)
To be fair, it is noted that Minister Wells also met with the Alliance for Gambling Reform on 25 June 2025 and the Gambling Harm Lived Experience Experts on 28 August 2025.
A request for access to the Prime Minister’s activities on gambling reform has not received a response.
Rex Patrick Tweet
Secrecy
There is no need for secrecy when it comes to gambling. And yet, the Government is engaging in it.
On 7 June 2025 MWM made an FOI request for access to, amongst other things, “the latest draft (or final) of the Government response to the House Inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.” It revealed that 18 November 2024 32 page draft response was in existence.
The Inquiry Response Does Exists (Source: FOI)
But the Government wasn’t interested in sharing its thoughts with the Australian public. Three years of inaction on an issue that causes great harm, including suicides, and the Government was ‘yes ministering’ the public stating that disclosure of the draft response,
could reasonably be expected to prejudice the ongoing deliberative processes related to cabinet functions which do not meet the strict criteria required for an exemption under s34, but would disclose sensitive material about policy development processes which have yet to be decided upon and finalised. This information remains current and is not already in the public domain. I consider that premature disclosure of this information would weigh heavily against the public interest.
The decision maker confused ‘departmental interest’ for ‘public interest’.
A response to a second request made on 29 October 2025 delivered more secrecy claims.
More Secrecy Rolled Out (Source: FOI)
MWM will challenge the FOI decision.
Government complicit in harm
Gambling is a trade in misery. The House Committee’s key focus was the harm that gambling causes: psychological, health, relationship, legal and financial harm, as well as being a key risk factor for suicide.
RoboDebt was disgraceful maladministration that caused great harm, including suicides. The motive for Robodebt was to (illegally) fill the public purse. Gambling is a disgraceful business that causes even greater harm, including suicides.
The motive for online gambling advertising is to (legally) harvest money into commercial entities’ bank accounts. It’s well established that the gambling business impacts most heavily on lower socio-economic groups and communities, siphoning off money from the less well off and delivering it into the accounts of billion dollar businesses.
As shocking as Robodebt was, inaction of gambling is worse.
That the Labor Government continues to sit, not just silently but also secretly, on gambling advertising reform is a disgrace. They know what harm is being caused, and they that harm is being inflicted on what were some of their core constituencies, but they wilfully allow that to harm to continue.
It’s an ugly story that tells us a lot about who Labor now serves.