Independents for Canberra is calling for all candidates and parties to support its commitment to banning political donations from the gambling industry.

The group’s proposal would outlaw electoral expenditure and loans and donations to political parties from ACT Labor’s investment vehicle, the 1973 Foundation, and from the Canberra Labor Club.

Australians are the biggest losers when it comes to gambling harm in the world, and the ACT is dragging its feet on meaningful reforms to protect our community. 

Alongside NSW, the ACT has the highest per capita presence of poker machines in the world. 20 per cent of poker machines in the ACT are located in venues affiliated with the Labor Party.

The final Legislative Assembly sitting week for this term of government saw substantive gambling harm reform kicked further down the road, notwithstanding an agreement to ban poker machines between 2am and 10am.

In July 2024, the Attorney-General, who is also the Minister for Gaming, announced a community consultation on reforms to gambling advertising that would implement restrictions on gambling ads during certain times. Gambling advertising restrictions are already in place in South Australia, having been introduced in 2013, and have been under consideration in the ACT since at least March 2023.

Canberrans are rightly asking why further consultation is needed before action is taken, given the scale of gambling harm in Canberra especially for young people.

Thomas Emerson, leader of Independents for Canberra, said the group had observed a strong sentiment across the community that the ACT is not moving quickly enough to address gambling harm.

“This week, the Chief Minister baulked at reforms to tackle gambling harm on the basis that people can always just cross the border and lose their money in NSW. That’s like opposing climate action in Australia on the basis that carbon is being emitted freely in China. It’s not exactly courageous political leadership from the ‘most progressive government’ in the country,” said Mr Emerson.

“We’re hearing concerns that certain political parties in the ACT are too closely connected to the gambling industry to make clear-headed decisions on protecting our community from gambling harm.

“Despite calling for a federal ban on all gambling advertising, the ACT Gaming Minister has proven incapable of implementing significant gambling reform in the ACT.

“We’re not confident real reform will be delivered in the next term of government without first breaking existing ties with vested interests. It’s become clear that if we want to tackle gambling harm in the ACT, we need to start by following NSW in banning political donations from the gambling industry.

“How many of the hundreds of roadside corflutes plotted across our city today have been funded by entities built on the gambling losses of Canberrans?”

In alignment with Independents for Canberra’s commitment to clean politics, free of vested interests, the group wants to ensure other parties are in a position to support policies that prioritise community interests, rather than their own financial interests.

Independents for Canberra candidates support expanding the declaration of prohibited political donors in the ACT Electoral Act to include the gambling industry by implementing:

• a ban on any direct donations from gambling operators or industry interests to ACT political parties, associated entities, or third-party campaigners; and

• a related ban on the flow of donations through investment vehicles, so that any entity that has been funded predominantly from gambling-related sources cannot make political donations or loans to any candidate, party, associated entity or third-party campaigner, nor make any electoral expenditure itself.

Media Contact:

Annie Frisch | 0410 738 610 |‬‬ [email protected]