Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Shorten’s intervention is the latest indication the government will not implement a total gambling ad ban as recommended in the 2023 Murphy report.

“I’m not convinced that complete prohibition works,” Shorten said on ABC Australia’s Q+A programme yesterday (12 August).

“We’ve got ourselves in this wicked situation where, now, some of the free-to-air media need gambling ad revenue at any time in order just to stay afloat.

“I don’t want Mark Zuckerberg or Facebook in charge of my news feeds. He’s not even paying the Australian media for what they report,” he told the audience.

Instead of an outright ban on TV and radio advertising, the government is reportedly considering capping gambling ads at two per hour until 10pm, and a ban on ads before and after live sports broadcasts.

Shorten: Focus will be on protecting kids from gambling ads

Shorten said the government should focus on ensuring gambling ads stopped “infiltrating the digital markets”.

While the government is set to roll back on the total TV and radio ad ban, it is likely to enforce a total ban on digital advertising, as outlined in the recommendations by late MP Peta Murphy.

“We want to look at what’s the exposure to kids, how we avoid normalising gambling, and also how do we make sure that when you watch sport, watch sport,” he said.

The minister also hinted at measures that would restrict in-stadium and sports sponsorships, saying the government was working with ministers “on the other forms of the promotion of gambling”.

Liberal Party supports gambling ad ban before and after sports showings

There has been widespread condemnation of the apparent roll-back on the gambling ad ban from a host of high-profile politicians including former rugby international David Pocock.

Liberal Party shadow minister for finance and public services Jane Hume also appeared on the ABC panel. She said the opposition supported banning gambling ads during the telecast of sports, including pre and post-show restrictions. However she did not go as far as to call for an outright ban on TV and radio advertising.

When pressed on the party’s view of a blanket ban, which has been supported by former Liberal prime minister John Howard, Hume said: “our policy is to ban it during sports telecasts, because that’s where it is. That’s where families are sitting with their kids. That’s what kids are watching.”