Long odds
At the Press Club, Communications Minister Anika Wells dodged questions on gambling ad reform, caught between reformers and powerful media and sporting interests.
An old saying well understood by politicians is that you should never pick a fight with someone who buys their ink by the barrel.
By their nature, media companies wield real power, including the ability to shape public opinion at election time. It’s why smart politicians take care when discussing reforms that could affect media organisations.
Against that backdrop, Communications Minister Anika Wells ran a mile at the National Press Club this afternoon when asked whether she would crack down on gambling advertising during televised sport broadcasts.
Caught between Labor MPs pushing for reform to curb gambling-related harm and broadcasters and sporting codes warning any change will ravage their business models, Wells wasn’t interested in discussing the issue.
