Australian Government Accused of Weakening Major Gambling Reform Proposal

In Australia, Budget Day is when the federal government announces its economic plans, spending measures, and tax changes for the year ahead. As expected, it dominates national news coverage, with most political journalists focusing almost entirely on the budget itself. Because of that, announcements released on the same day often receive much less attention.

Now, many online critics and political opponents argue that the government used this timing to quietly release its gambling reform response while the media was distracted elsewhere.

For example, independent senator David Pocock described the move as “cowardly”, while other critics accused Labour on social media of trying to “bury” the response after delaying it for years.

The government has since denied these claims, saying the timing was related to parliamentary scheduling and that it wasn’t a media strategy. However, many still remain sceptical, especially given how long the response had already been delayed.

The original Murphy report was considered one of the strongest gambling reform proposals Australia had seen in years. Among its biggest recommendations were:

• A full phased ban on gambling advertising
• Improved online gambling protections, especially for minors
• Tighter restrictions on sports betting promotions
• The creation of a national online gambling regulator

The report gained significant attention in 2023 as public concern around gambling advertising continued to grow, particularly during live sports broadcasts.

At the time, many expected the government to immediately adopt a tougher stance on gambling marketing, especially after years of criticism about the number of betting ads shown on TV, in stadiums, and on social media.

However, as we all know now, that didn’t happen, and it appears that Australia is not getting a new national online gambling regulator either.

Instead of introducing a full ban on gambling advertising, the government announced a smaller package of restrictions in 2025 that focuses mainly on limiting exposure rather than removing gambling ads entirely.

The proposed reforms indicate that TV gambling ads will be capped during certain hours, while radio gambling ads will be restricted during school pick-up and drop-off periods. The government also plans to remove gambling branding from stadiums and team jerseys, and to introduce ‘tighter rules for online advertising’, under which gambling ads would be shown only to verified adult users and would offer the option to opt out.

However, some of the report’s biggest recommendations were left out entirely. The government did not commit to a complete gambling advertising ban and also rejected the idea of a national online gambling regulator, which was viewed as one of the most important parts of the original proposal.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the reforms by saying the government was trying to “get the balance right” between reducing gambling exposure and still allowing adults to gamble legally.

Another major point of criticism is the delay itself. The Murphy report was released in June 2023, meaning almost three years passed before the government formally responded.

According to critics, the delay was deliberate as it gave gambling companies plenty of time to continue with their advertising largely unchanged.

Users on social media have pointed out that even the final package is the result of a political compromise rather than the report’s initial intent.