Howard Announces National Approach To Problem Gambling

This is the text of a statement released today by the Prime Minister, John Howard.

Excessive gambling blights the lives of thousands of Australians and their families every year.

Problem gambling has become a major social concern.

The challenge for all governments in Australia is to find a response which balances the undoubted right of individual Australians to gamble if they wish with the ongoing responsibility of governments for overall community welfare.

The regulation of gambling has traditionally been a State responsibility. It is not our desire to change this. The Commonwealth, however, does have a leadership role in coordinating a national response to problem gambling.

Importantly also, the Commonwealth has a direct responsibility in relation to the use of the internet for gambling. I am particularly concerned about the effect of a rapid expansion of internet gambling and the Government will be investigating the feasibility and consequences of banning internet gambling.

Today I have released the final report of the Productivity Commission on Australia’s gambling industries. A key recommendation of that report is the establishment of a ministerial council on gambling aimed at achieving a national approach to the challenge of problem gambling.

The Government will adopt that recommendation. I have written today to the Premiers and Chief Ministers proposing the establishment of a Ministerial Council on Gambling.

That council will report to the Council of Australian Governments. It will focus on stopping the further expansion of gambling in Australia, on the impacts of problem gambling on families and communities, on internet gambling and on consumer protection.

The Minister for Family and Community Services will represent the Commonwealth on the Council, with other Ministers participating on relevant issues.

The Productivity Commission report is the first comprehensive investigation of gambling in Australia and it is the first time we have had a complete picture not only of the economics and regulatory structure of the gambling industries, but also of the social consequences of the recent rapid expansion of gambling in this country.

I am particularly disturbed by the findings of the report about the extent and severity of problem gambling. The report found that around 290,000 Australians are problem gamblers and account for over $3 billion in losses annually.

This is disastrous not only for these problem gamblers, but also for the estimated 1.5 million people they directly affect as a result of bankruptcy, divorce, suicide and lost time at work.

I have been pleased to see that the publication of the draft of this report in July this year has already generated a great deal of concern about problem gambling and its effects on families and the community. State and Territory governments have announced a range of measures to address the uncontrolled expansion of gambling and improvements to services for problem gamblers.

We need, however, a national response to what is clearly a national problem. By working together with the industry and the community, the Commonwealth and the States and Territories can achieve the best economic and social outcomes for the Australian community.

It will be important for the gambling industry and communities themselves to work with governments in addressing the issues in the Commission’s report. I have therefore proposed that an expert advisory body to the Council be established with membership from community organisations and also from the gambling industry itself.

Internet gambling has the potential to dramatically increase the number of problem gamblers because it will be accessible to every household 24 hours a day.

I would envisage that this issue will be a major focus of the proposed Ministerial Council on Gambling and its advisory body. In addition the Government will be undertaking consultations with relevant industry and consumer groups and will also take account of the forthcoming report of the Senate Information Technology Committee’s inquiry into on-line gambling.

The Commonwealth Government will also undertake a range of measures to increase the priority given to the prevention and treatment of problem gambling within the Government’s own social policy programmes. These measures include new approaches to informing and helping Australians from particular groups with special needs, such as youth, veterans, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

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