1.1        There is significant community concern about the scheduling and quantity of gambling advertising during the broadcast of live sporting events.

1.2        Data indicates that, on average, there are twice as many gambling advertisements shown during sports programs than the average program.

1.3        Australians are far and away the largest gamblers per capita.

1.4        There are significant proven links between gambling and family violence, homelessness, mental health problems, crime and so on.

1.5        Exposure to gambling at an early age is a predictor of how likely that child is to grow into a problem gambler.

1.6        It is the view of the Australian Greens that the bill does not, in its current form, provide adequate safeguards against regulatory bypass and thus leaves open the opportunity for some broadcasters to enjoy monopoly rights to promote gambling content in contradiction with community expectations and expert advice on harm minimisation.

1.7        What is proposed is welcome but incomplete. Viewers do not judge what is and is not a live sporting event based on when such an event kicks off formally. Rather, the beginning of the broadcast signals to many the beginning of the event. It seems unusual to say, as this Bill does, that the NRL grand final pre-game show does not constitute the broadcast of a live sporting event.

1.8        There is substantial room for improvement to the bill as currently proposed. The bill should not proceed in its current form until such opportunity is closed through amendment.

Senator Janet Rice                                     Senator Sarah Hanson-Young
Deputy Chair                                               Senator for South Australia

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