At this morning’s press conference with David Pocock and Usman Khawaja called for the government to turn its attention to the much needed reform of Australia’s gambling industry.

The call comes as Australians lost more to gambling than anywhere else in the world – $31.5 billion in 2022-23. Since 2019, average losses have increased by 25%, so the problem is getting worse. And that’s not to mention the social harms gambling causes.

The proliferation of gambling apps and sports betting means that gambling has come to infiltrate our sporting codes, living rooms, and free time in ways that weren’t possible as little as 10 years ago. As a consequence, younger Australians are gambling in unprecedented way. Analysis by The Australia Institute shows that about 900,000 Australian teenagers gamble. Around 600,000 are aged just 12-17-years-old, which means Australia has enough underage gamblers to fill the MCG six times over.

The good news is that Australians are hungry for change. Australia Institute research found that three in four Australians (76%) support a total ban on gambling ads phased in over three years. This is exactly what the Murphy Review recommended, mow all that is needed is for the government to have the courage to implement what would be an incredibly popular policy.