Albanese’s gambling inquiry response silent on Indigenous harm
Federal government gambling reforms announced last week fell short of recommendations from the landmark Murphy inquiry.
Anthony Albanese’s response to a landmark report on gambling harm ignored a plea by Indigenous health organisations for more help to limit the damage facing disadvantaged communities.
The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) warned in a submission to the government’s You Win Some, You Lose More inquiry that commercial gambling leads to devastating health impacts in Indigenous communities, including substandard housing, homelessness, hunger and high death rates.
It also said there was “no reliable data” relating to online gambling in Indigenous communities, noting data collection and sharing of data with Indigenous communities is a cornerstone of the government’s totemic Closing the Gap policy.
But the prime minister’s response to the inquiry, which he released last Friday at the National Press Club, was silent on gambling harm in Indigenous communities, focusing instead on restricting gambling advertisements during sporting broadcasts.
