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senate vote 2018-03-26#3
Edited by
mackay staff
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2018-04-27 10:25:53
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Title
Bills — Communications Legislation Amendment (Online Content Services and Other Measures) Bill 2017; Second Reading- Communications Legislation Amendment (Online Content Services and Other Measures) Bill 2017 - Second Reading - Prohibit betting on lottery outcome
Description
<p class="speaker">Rex Patrick</p><p>I move the second reading amendment standing in my name on sheet 8404:</p><p class="italic">At the end of the motion, add:</p>- The majority voted in favour of an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2018-03-26.143.1) to the usual [second reading motion](https://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/making-a-law.html) ("That this bill be read a second time").
- Reading a bill for a second time is parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill.
- ### Amendment text
- > *At the end of the motion, add:*
- > *", but the Senate is of the opinion that the Government should legislate to prohibit betting on the outcome of a lottery."*
- ### Main idea of the bill
- The [bill was introduced to](http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/s1106):
- * enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to make online content service provider rules which impose gambling promotions restrictions on online content service providers;
- * provide the ACMA with the power to determine program standards about gambling promotional content which apply to certain broadcasters and subscriptions providers; and
- * require the ACMA to monitor compliance with online content service provider rules.
<p class="italic">", but the Senate is of the opinion that the Government should legislate to prohibit betting on the outcome of a lottery."</p> <p class="speaker">Deborah O'Neill</p><p>Labor is sympathetic to the concerns behind the amendment moved by Senator Patrick and is consulting with stakeholders on the issues that relate to Lottoland. Labor acknowledges concerns about the impact of Lottoland on consumers and small business and its implications for regulatory and tax structures in Australia. As Labor said in the Senate during the debate on the Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill last year, Labor are sympathetic to the concerns about Lottoland and we understand that Lottoland is a fast-growing online bookmaker in Australia. It is licensed in the Northern Territory and has a foreign parent company. Lottoland invites consumers to bet online on the outcome of a lottery but isn't itself an official lottery but a so-called synthetic lottery.</p><p>On 27 September, Labor wrote to the chairman of the ACCC to convey concerns about representations made by companies that offer betting on lottery results, such as Lottoland, that may mislead or deceive consumers into believing that they are purchasing a lottery ticket or directly participating in a lottery, and we invited the ACCC to investigate whether consumer law has been breached. In response to Labor's letter, on 25 October 2017 the ACCC undertook to continue to review developments and complaints received in relation to Lottoland. More recently, in November 2017, the Labor government of the Northern Territory moved to ban Northern Territory licensed bookmakers, including Lottoland, from accepting bets on the outcomes of Australian based lotteries.</p><p>But this is not the end of the matter. Like many other sectors, newsagencies and lottery retailers have been very disrupted by digitisation. The sale of official lottery tickets remains a key element of the newsagency business model and contributes to state and territory revenues via lottery taxes. Online betting bookmakers which allow customers to bet on the outcome of official lotteries such as Lottoland have implications for traditional business models and related consumer protection, regulatory and tax structures which deserve closer examination. We note that a number of other jurisdictions around Australia have acted to deal with the issue of betting on the outcome of a lottery and we note the grassroots campaign Lottoland's Gotta Go! has effectively raised the profile. Labor is currently looking into these issues. We do have real concerns about betting on the outcome of a lottery, but we're not in a position to support this second reading amendment this evening. I indicate for the record that Labor will continue to consult further on this issue.</p> <p class="speaker">Sarah Hanson-Young</p><p>I seek leave to make a short statement.</p> <p class="speaker">Kimberley Kitching</p><p>Leave is granted for one minute.</p> <p class="speaker">Sarah Hanson-Young</p><p>The Greens support this amendment. We think it is just another rank example of how gambling in this country is absolutely out of control. When you get to the point where you can make a bet on a lottery, there is something wrong. This bill, broadly speaking, deals with one part of the insidious gambling industry. We know that the gambling industry has so much power in this country. They won the Liberal Party government in Tasmania. They tried to destroy South Australia. If we in this place can't even get ourselves on the same page to clamp down on this insidious industry that thrives on the misery of people, then we shouldn't be here. We should all be voting for this amendment, and we should be getting it through.</p> <p class="speaker">Scott Ryan</p><p>The question is that the second reading amendment of Senator Patrick be agreed to.</p>
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