Australia to review political donations from gambling firms
Senator Don Farrell confirms sea change in attitude after recent report by ABC revealed donations topped A$80m
A leading Australian politician has noted the government is exploring changes to electoral funding in the country after coming under pressure for receiving funds from the gambling industry.
Senator Don Farrell, minister for trade and tourism and deputy leader of the government in the Senate, responded to questioning on the implication of gambling firms continuing to support political parties.
In October 2021, ABC revealed more than A$80m was made in political donations from the gambling sector over the past two decades.
The Labor Party, which includes Farrell, received more than A$39m in donations while the Liberals and Nationals took a combined A$22m.
Farrell was pushed by senator David Pocock on whether it was “appropriate” for political parties to accept donations from gambling companies, given the impacts of gambling-related harm.
While Farrell was coy with his answer, and did not directly reference the gambling industry, yet he gave clear indications of potential reform moving forwards.
Farrell said: “The Labor Party is very seriously interested in the reform of the electoral process, and we’ve sent a number of recommendations to the parliamentary committee that looks after the issue of electoral funding.
“Some of the things that I have proposed, as the minister responsible in that area, include reducing the threshold levels for the disclosure of donations.
“I’ll just say that one of the things that we’re proposing to do in that space is real-time disclosure of donations,” he added.
In the same session, Farrell also touched on the ongoing inquiry into gambling, which held its first public session in Canberra yesterday.
Farrell continued: “The government is concerned about the impact of gambling on children, and we’ve done a number of things since coming to government in this respect.
“One of the key focus areas of the parliamentary inquiry is considering the effectiveness of current gambling advertising restrictions, particularly on limiting children’s exposure to gambling products and services, including through social media,” he concluded.