INDEPENDENT federal MP for Indi, Helen Haines, is among the signatories of an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton which calls for a ban on gambling ads. With the Federal Government expected to respond next month to a 2022 parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, which was chaired by late MP Peta Murphy and recommended phasing out gambling advertising over three years, the letter signed by 74 prominent Australians supports this concept, and calls on the nation's leaders to "please act now". Along with Dr Haines and a number of other current politicians, the letter has the support of former Prime Ministers John Howard and Malcolm Turnbull, family violence prevention advocate Rosie Batty, former Victorian Premiers Jeff Kennett and Steve Bracks, former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, sports journalist Gideon Haigh and Western Bulldogs premiership captain Easton Wood. Clergy members, university professors, health organisations, business people, and Salvation Army, Wesley Mission, Anglicare and St Vincent de Paul Society leaders have also lent their names to the open letter published by the Alliance for Gambling Reform, which asserts that "Australia has a gambling addiction". "It is not only leading to $25 billion in annual losses – it is escalating devastating social harm including financial loss, health and mental health issues, partner violence, family break-up and suicide," the letter reads. "There is strong evidence that gambling companies are now grooming our kids by targeting children as young as 14 through social media. "Our children are also being targeted by the tsunami of gambling ads that assault our screens, especially around coverage of our major sporting codes. "It is ensnaring a whole new generation of gamblers. "Gambling advertising in Australia is out of control with one million gambling ads being aired on free-to-air television and radio in just one year. "We the undersigned urge the Government and the Opposition to publicly commit to the swift adoption and implementation of all 31 recommendations of the Murphy Report parliamentary inquiry into online gambling. "This includes a three-year, phased-in ban on all gambling advertising and the banning of inducements and promotions, especially around sports betting, which are unethically used to ensnare people who want to stop gambling. "Please act now." The Federal Government's response to the Murphy Report, which many believe will not go as far as a complete ban, is expected in parliament next month. Government Services Minister Bill Shorten told ABCTV's Q&A program on Monday that a "wicked situation" meant that some free-to-air media needed gambling ad revenue "at any time in order just to stay afloat", and that he was not convinced that a complete ban would work. Dr Haines said the financial challenges faced by free-to-air media was something regional media outlets in her electorate knew very well, and that she supported measures to ensure their services continued. "But I don’t accept that the survival of free-to-air media is contingent upon advertising an industry that continues to perpetuate enormous social harms," she said. Dr Haines said gambling advertising filling screens and phones was increasingly pitched to young people. "The social harms of gambling aren’t just financial, but extend to mental health, domestic violence, family breakdown and homelessness," she said. "This needs to stop. "This is not about banning gambling itself, but about banning gambling advertising, which targets children and vulnerable people. Dr Haines said the three-year phase-out would "remove one million gambling ads from our televisions and radio airwaves every year and put a stop to online grooming of our children by gambling companies".
