COWPER MP Pat Conaghan crossed the floor in the Federal House of representatives for the first time in his parliamentary career on Tuesday, 18 August, to vote against watered-down legislation governing gambling advertising.
Mr Conaghan said he did not believe the legislation adequately considered the findings of the ‘You win some, you lose more’ parliamentary inquiry, of which he was deputy chair with the late Peta Murphy.
Mr Conaghan told Patricia Karvelas on the ABC that the inquiry was one of the most collegiate, productive inquiries with which he had been involved.
The inquiry released 31 unanimous recommendations and it was hoped that the Government would adopt them in full in its Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026.
“On Tuesday, I crossed the floor and did not vote with Labor, the Liberals and the Nationals on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026,” Mr Conaghan said.
“As a National Party member outside of the Shadow Cabinet, I am absolutely free to do so.”
Mr Conaghan said he believed that the legislation did not go far enough.
“I don’t believe that it truly considered the unanimous ‘You Win Some, You Lose More’ parliamentary inquiry and subsequent report.
“As the deputy Chair of that inquiry three long years ago, I heard first-hand the testimony from all sides of the equation.
“I worked hard with the inquiry Chair, the late Peta Murphy MP, to get the settings right and as a result we received no dissenting reports and presented a fully supported bi-partisan set of recommendations.
“Many of the key components of these have since been discarded and, in my view, still allow predatory practices to occur.”
“The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has justified watering down the recommendations because media organisations and sporting codes need to be considered, to the dismay of many commentators and community members.”
Mr Conaghan said, While I agree that the legislation that has now passed is a marginal improvement and, I am disappointed that we as representatives missed the opportunity to truly get it right.”
By Andrew VIVIAN
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