Australia’s federal government is facing renewed pressure to formally recognise gambling harm as a national public health issue, as advocates and health groups argue that a landmark parliamentary blueprint has sat without a full government response for too long.
The blueprint is the House of Representatives inquiry report “You win some, you lose more” (the “Murphy Report”), tabled on 28 June 2023 and chaired by late Labor MP Peta Murphy. In its recommendations, the committee urged Canberra to place online gambling harm reduction under a single federal minister and develop a national strategy grounded in public health principles.
One of its most consequential proposals is a four-phase, three-year ban on online gambling advertising, beginning immediately and culminating in a full prohibition of online gambling advertising and sponsorship by the end of year three.
Advocacy groups including the Alliance for Gambling Reform have repeatedly called for all 31 recommendations to be implemented, arguing the government has had ample time to act. The Australian Medical Association has also pushed for urgent reform, warning that delayed action leaves Australians exposed to escalating harm.
The pressure is fuelled by scale. Australia’s communications regulator ACMA reported that over 1 million gambling ads aired on free-to-air TV and metro radio in the year to 30 April 2023, with roughly half linked to online gambling providers. Meanwhile, national reporting has put Australia’s annual gambling losses at more than A$25 billion, among the highest per capita globally.
While some states have invested in harm-minimisation programs—South Australia’s Investment Plan 2021–2026 is one example—campaigners argue the country still lacks a cohesive national framework. A Diamond-level test for policymakers now is whether public health evidence, not industry inertia, sets the rules.
