Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Public Accounts and Estimates Committee

Gambling and Liquor Regulation in Victoria: A Follow up of Three Auditor-General Reports

Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (11:04): I rise to speak on Gambling and Liquor Regulation in Victoria: A Follow up of Three Auditor-General Reports. I would like to start by firstly thanking the committee membership: the chair, the member for Laverton; the deputy chair, a member for North-Eastern Metro; a member for South Eastern Metro, Michael Galea; the member for Box Hill; the member for Point Cook; the member for Yan Yean; a member for Western Victoria; the member for Gippsland South; the member for Melbourne; and the member for Clarinda. I thank them for the important work they do on the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee. I would also like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the committee secretariat for their unwavering dedication throughout the entirety of this inquiry. I thank them for their meticulous efforts in crafting this comprehensive report. I would also like to thank the families of the PAEC members. They give up a lot because PAEC is a really heavy committee to be on. So not only do the PAEC members give up a lot of their time but their families give up a lot of their time to be on that committee.

One of the crucial responsibilities of the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee is conducting follow-ups on the Auditor-General reports. The Auditor-General presented three reports concerning the regulation of gambling and liquor and the minimisation of gambling-related harm in 2017, 2019 and 2021. These involved assessing the extent to which government agencies have implemented the recommendations and identifying any other significant linked issues that may have arisen.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the work of the Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation on gambling reform. It is really exciting work, and I am really proud to be part of the government that has delivered the reform. I congratulate the minister on implementing the closure of gaming venues between 4 am and 10 am, which was one of the recommendations of this committee. People with gambling addiction are particularly vulnerable to the availability of round-the-clock gambling as it eliminates natural breaks that can help them stop or reduce gambling activity. Late night and early morning gambling can lead to fatigue, impaired judgement and increased likelihood of excessive gambling. The closure period allows players to rest and make more rational decisions. In addition to the closure period, the Labor government has introduced the statewide YourPlay system, which allows gamblers to set their own time and spend limits on poker machines and sees them locked out for a period once their limits are reached. This card has been mandated for play at Crown Casino, giving gamblers an extra layer of visibility and control over their gambling, helping to reduce harm.

The committee also found that gambling harm is particularly bad with young men, a cohort for whom gambling has become increasingly normalised. Treatment service providers are experiencing a rise in referrals for counselling sought by parents and guardians on behalf of their young sons. Gambling apps encourage bets with mates to normalise male group gambling as well. The committee undertook a visit to Geelong, where they spoke with not-for-profit organisation Meli, who offer multiple services, including financial counselling, in the Barwon and Great South Coast regions. Meli highlighted that young men typically refrain from seeking assistance for gambling issues primarily because gambling is socially accepted within this group. With the recent move to gambling on popular sports and online gambling making accessibility easier, this demographic is easily enticed.

Recommendation 44 in the tabled report suggests that the Victorian government consider how gambling codes of conduct and ministerial directions to minimise harm can be intentionally designed and enforced to ensure young people are protected from the harms of online gambling and to safeguard people under the age of 18 from accessing gambling products online. Young people are particularly vulnerable to the harms of gambling due to factors such as impulsivity, lack of awareness about risks and susceptibility to peer influence. Intentionally designing and enforcing regulations can help shield them from these harms associated with gambling addiction. That is a really important point. Until recent times if you wanted to have a bet you would need to go to the local bookmakers, but now gambling is constantly at your fingertips on devices with ready access to a variety of opportunities to gamble over multiple apps.

This leads on to the one of the more distressing parts of the report: a submission from Suicide Prevention Australia, serving as the national peak body for the suicide prevention sector, highlighting the risk between gambling harm and suicide. It found on average that there were 23 people who committed suicide in Victoria annually between 2009 and 2016 due to distress from gambling. Suicide Prevention Australia stressed that suicide is very complex and multifactorial but engaging in gambling is a risk factor that can increase the likelihood of job loss, financial hardship, problems at work and relationship issues. Suicide Prevention Australia noted that nearly one in five people showing signs of suicidal behaviour also struggle with gambling addiction, showing a correlation between gambling harm and suicide.

The committee also looked at the alcohol-related harm to the Victorian community. During the COVID-19 lockdowns there was a significant increase in ordering alcohol via home delivery. A major concern raised by the alcohol harm advocates is the delivery of alcohol purchased online. The committee learned that most of the current content of responsible serving of alcohol – (Time expired)