⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a 3 minute read.
👋 G’day everyone, Archie here, I’ve just got the one story for you this afternoon, and it’s something I haven’t really heard others talking about. So let’s dive in.
We expect all parties to engage with the spirit of what we're doing: protecting Australian children, families and vulnerable people from gambling harm.
🗣️ Why did they say that?
Are the government’s new gambling ad restrictions as impressive as they’re hyped up to be?
While much praise was written about the regulations when they were announced, it seems to me there’s a potentially major flaw in the blueprint to a gambling-ad-free future.
The new laws, which take effect next year, include restricting gambling advertising on broadcast TV to no more than three ads each hour between 6am and 8.30pm, with a complete ban during live sport broadcasts within those hours.
So what happens after 8:30pm? Well, the restrictions will be lifted and gambling ads can run rampant.
So what’s stopping the sporting codes, bookmakers and broadcasters from just pushing game times to 8:31pm to get around the ban? Sure, it might be a later kickoff, but the codes make millions from the country’s punters. Would they be willing to so readily give that away?
I asked Anika Wells, the minister responsible for the reforms, about this. A spokesperson from her office told me the 6:00am - 8:30pm is the peak time for children to be watching and these are the toughest restrictions in Australian history.
“We expect all parties to engage with the spirit of what we're doing,” said the statement.
I look forward to seeing the gambling industry act with moral clarity.
For my full rundown check out today’s video:
🏘️ In case you missed it
Last week I had a chat with Emeritus Professor Hal Pawson, from UNSW's City Futures Research Centre. I wanted to know how the Melbourne property market had become more affordable for first home buyers — and if the same policy settings could be replicated across other states and territories.
The full interview is on our YouTube Channel and Spotify which is definitely worth checking out.
Below is just one of the highlights, where Hal explains how Victoria’s housing actually became so much more affordable in comparison to places like Sydney and Brisbane.
Thanks for catching up with me. I hope you enjoyed this issue, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just reply to this email and I’ll be on the other side 👋
I’ll be back Wednesday.
Cheers, Archie