General Debate

Gambling

House of Representatives · Thursday 2 July 2026

Official Hansard for this day (APH) · Read this debate on OpenAustralia

At a glance

Andrew Wilkie moved a motion criticising the government's newly introduced gambling legislation as ineffective. He argued that the bill failed to protect vulnerable Australians and ignored key recommendations from the Murphy report. Wilkie called on the Prime Minister to explain why protecting industry interests was prioritised over public health. The leave to move the motion was not granted by the House.

Outcome

Leave to move the motion was not granted.

Summary in reported speech - not a transcript. AI-generated, so check the official record before quoting.

How the debate unfolded

Opened the debate

Andrew Wilkie (Clark) (Independent) Ind

Wilkie argued that the government's gambling legislation was insufficient to prevent advertising harm or protect children and vulnerable Australians. Wilkie referenced a previous failed agreement with the former Prime Minister regarding deeper reform, suggesting that industry pressure had weakened past efforts. Wilkie contended that the current government had a clear parliamentary majority to enact the 31 recommendations of the Murphy report but was choosing not to do so. Wilkie cited data indicating that over $100 billion had been lost to gambling since the report's release and estimated that hundreds of thousands of Australians were at risk of addiction. Wilkie urged the Prime Minister to allow a free vote on the matter rather than blocking reform.