The Greens have accused Labor and Peter Dutton of giving gambling ads to every Australian family this Christmas after voting against a Greens amendment to ban gambling ads in the Senate late last night.
The Greens moved an amendment to ban gambling ads on tv, radio and online during debate over the Communications Legislation Amendment (Regional Broadcasting Continuity) Bill 2024.
Sarah Hanson-Young is Greens spokesperson for communications, Senator for South Australia:
"Labor's giving gambling ads this Christmas when they could have backed the Greens amendment last night to ban them before the holidays.
"Labor and Dutton have failed families on gambling ads. Addiction, family breakdowns and financial hardship will be worse this summer in Australia because the Albanese Government has sold out to Sportsbet.
"The facts are clear: Australians lose more per capita to gambling addiction than any nation on earth. Expert evidence and 70% of Australians support a full gambling ad ban, but Labor and Liberal are addicted to the donations, dinners and dirty deals with the gambling lobby.
"Instead of acting on the well established recommendations to ban gambling ads, they have rushed through a knee-jerk social media ban without evidence or due process.
"The Greens will move our Ban Gambling Ads Bill when Parliament returns in February and the Prime Minister and Peter Dutton should stop selling out to Sportsbet and support it."
