Overview

• Test batter Usman Khawaja met Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers in Canberra and urged a total end to wagering promotion in sport, saying Labor has been “100% too slow.”
• Albanese said gambling is legal and defended Australians’ “right to punt,” reiterating concerns a blanket ban could drive wagering to offshore sites without consumer protections.
• The government has not endorsed the Murphy inquiry’s recommended phase-out, with a formal response targeted by late 2025 as Communications Minister Anika Wells continues talks with industry.
• Broadcasters and major sporting codes reliant on wagering revenue are lobbying to soften or delay restrictions, while public-health experts dispute claims of a mass shift to illegal markets.
• Existing measures include a national self-exclusion register, a ban on credit-card wagering, and state rules such as New South Wales’ ban on ads on public transport and tougher penalties in Western Australia.