‘Way beyond time’: Wilkie seconds Sharkie’s private member’s bill on gambling ads
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie seconded Rebekha Sharkie’s private member’s bill and says it is beyond time for the Albanese government to act on gambling:
It’s now just been over a year since the standing committee on social policy and legal affairs, chaired by the late Ms Peta Murphy, released its report into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm. But the federal government still hasn’t responded to the report, or enacted any meaningful reforms to combat gambling advertising. This is entirely unacceptable.
It’s way beyond time for the government to stop kowtowing to the gambling industry, the media and the big sporting codes, and instead focus on protecting Australians from predatory industries like this by banning all online gambling advertising. Until that happens, people, including children will continue to be exposed to gambling ads that normalise the practice.
Key events
Josh Butler
The newly-appointed Illicit Tobacco and E‑cigarette Commissioner, Erin Dale, said the government was targeting organised crime groups especially with its new crackdown. She asked ordinary citizens to help out by “dobbing in” stores selling vapes illegally.
My message to organised crime as we are targeting you. At the Commonwealth and state levels, we never been more joined up before,” she said.
My message to the public is we cannot do this alone. We need your support, through education, through dobbing in where the cigarettes or illicit cigarettes and substances are being sold, we need your support. So I’m looking forward to working across on welfare state and ramping up efforts even further to support the initiative.”
Butler stressed to business owners that selling vapes outside a pharmacy setting is now illegal.
We expect businesses to comply with this. We are very deadly serious about making sure these laws work,” he said.
The minister wouldn’t say exactly what kind of enforcement activity that police and authorities would undertake, but foreshadowed: “it will become very quickly apparent to businesses that continue to flout these laws or mistakenly think we’re not serious about enforcing them, that the penalties contained in the laws will be levied against them.”
Butler tells shops to stop selling vapes as new laws begin
Josh Butler
Health minister Mark Butler has put convenience stores and corner shops on notice for selling vapes, saying bluntly “you need to stop” from today as new laws come into force – threatening millions in fines and years in jail.
The last tranche of the government’s anti-vaping legislation kicks in 1 July, making it illegal to sell vapes other than for therapeutic reasons – that is, “recreational” vapes with zany flavours are now outlawed.
The enforcement activity that we are starting this week, in partnership with state and territory health authorities, will also be substantial. So for those out there who have been selling and supplying these vapes in vape stores or other retail settings, you need to stop,” Butler told a press conference in Canberra.
If you don’t stop, I want to assure you that you will be liable to very significant penalties with fines up to $2 million and jail time up to seven years.”
Since 1 January, the government says federal authorities have seized nearly 3 million vapes as part of enforcement activities, which home affairs minister Clare O’Neil saying it was having a material impact on people’s ability to access vapes. We’ve heard anecdotal reports that vapes are getting harder to find, and more expensive to buy.
Ley says Labor failing to deliver on domestic violence workers
Sussan Ley has been keeping track of how many of the promised 500 frontline domestic violence workers promised by the Labor government at the election have been employed.
The deputy opposition leader says the government had promised 200 workers by 30 June 2023 (and none were hired) then that was revised to 352 workers by 30 June 2024.
The department of social services show 94 workers have been hired.
The government says it is down to the states who have not been hiring the workers fast enough
Ley says no state or territory has met its target and the federal government needs to make some changes.
Anthony Albanese needs to stand up and accept responsibility for failing to deliver the promised 500 domestic violence workers and fix this. Regardless of your political views, if you care about action on domestic violence, you should expect the Prime Minister to deliver on his commitments here.
As it stands it is unlikely we will see all 500 promised workers on the ground by the next election and that would be a black mark on this Prime Minister’s record.”
Bandt says Payman ‘doing the right thing’
Meanwhile, Greens leader Adam Bandt has spoken in support of Labor senator Fatima Payman, which follows Max Chandler-Mather speaking in support of the suspended senator earlier this morning.
Bandt:
Labor needs to stop sanctioning those within its party who are speaking out and doing the right thing and instead start putting pressure on Netanyahu to stop this invasion.
Every time there is a hand-wringing claim from the prime minister or the foreign affairs minister for [Benjamin] Netanyahu not to cross another red line, he ignores it, and then goes and crosses that red line. Then he looks around the rest of the world to see what consequences there will be.
… The Greens will continue to push for Labor to act to stop backing the invasion and to start putting pressure on this extremist Netanyahu government.
Newcastle coal port blockade ‘disrupting corporate power’, protester says
The Newcastle coal port has been under a blockade for the past week.
Blockade Australia has reported “multiple actions each day” to disrupt the coal trains.
One protester spoke to the group about why they are taking part:
98% of Australia’s trade is through the ports. I’m disrupting corporate and institutional power, the foundation of Australia’s system. Disruptive tactics have always been employed, and are always criticised as extremist and counter-intuitive. Despite this, the status quo celebrates many wins of the same disruptive tactics, attributing the successes to the framework of liberal democracy and the more passive reformist movement.
I’m totally disabled from participating in our so-called democracy but still expected to be compliant, with all the evidence that suggests we need to take action strategically and urgently.
Procession of Labor MPs ready to spruik 1 July changes
The parliament not sitting until 11.30 helped, but there were more government MPs than usual trotting through the doors to the parliament where the media waits – all to talk about the 1 July changes and how that would impact their region.
Reporting for duty we had:
Regional Queensland – Senator Nita Green
Ipswich – Shayne Neumann
Brisbane – Graham Perrett
Hunter region – Dan Repacholi
Central Coast – Gordon Reid
Sydney – Matt Thistlethwaite
Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury – Susan Templeman
South coast – Fiona Phillips
ACT – Andrew Leigh
Regional Victoria – Lisa Chesters
Melbourne – Carina Garland
Tasmania – Brian Mitchell
South Australia – Matt Burnell
Western Australia – Senator Varun Ghosh
Northern Territory – Luke Gosling
‘Up to her’ if Payman wants to return to Labor caucus, MP says
NSW Labor Matt Thistlethwaite (whose name is a regular challenge to my speech impediment) has also been asked about Fatima Payman.
The Labor right faction member said:
Senator Payman has the opportunity to come back into the Labor caucus. When we join the Labor party we all make a commitment to abide by the rules of the party and when parliament’s sitting we all come together every Tuesday morning to debate all of the policies and issues that are coming up in the parliament and everyone in the Labor caucus has the opportunity to put their point of view. But once we agree on our position, our policy and our way forward, we all commit to get behind and back that decision in the parliament. Senator Payman has been suspended because she didn’t do that. It’s up to her, she has the opportunity to recommit to the decisions of the caucus and the rules of the party and come back into the Labor caucus, and she’d be welcomed.
Labor aiming to push through bill to end live sheep exports
Over in the Senate, Labor is pushing to have its primary industries bills passed through the chamber.
Katy Gallagher is moving a motion to shake up the Senate sitting times – she wants all business after 8pm to be government business and then votes at 10pm (which means the government has the numbers to pass the bills and just wants it done).
The main one here is the ending live sheep exports bill, which aims to phase out live sheep exports in Western Australia (producers in other states have moved on) by mid-2025.
The Senate has agreed to the change.
Erin Dale appointed as illicit tobacco and e‑cigarette commissioner
Australia now has an “illicit tobacco and e‑cigarette commissioner” who will focus on the ciggy and vape hidden market.
This is to be no more mango-tango-unicorn rizz flavours in the vaping world – it is now all plain or mint, which of course, will lead to all sorts of interesting ways to bring in razzle-dazzle vape options.
Erin Dale, who is the ABF assistant commissioner leading the tobacco and e-cigarette taskforce, is the new commissioner tasked with keeping “unicorn poo” and “horny strawberry” out of Australian hands.
The Illicit Tobacco and E‑cigarette Commissioner will be an essential role in coordinating efforts to combat the threat of illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes. The Commissioner will build on and strengthen existing arrangements, to ensure a more integrated whole-of-government response.
The establishment of this position builds on Australia’s multi-layered approach to reduce smoking and vaping rates in Australia – through stronger legislation, enforcement, education and support.
‘Way beyond time’: Wilkie seconds Sharkie’s private member’s bill on gambling ads
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie seconded Rebekha Sharkie’s private member’s bill and says it is beyond time for the Albanese government to act on gambling:
It’s now just been over a year since the standing committee on social policy and legal affairs, chaired by the late Ms Peta Murphy, released its report into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm. But the federal government still hasn’t responded to the report, or enacted any meaningful reforms to combat gambling advertising. This is entirely unacceptable.
It’s way beyond time for the government to stop kowtowing to the gambling industry, the media and the big sporting codes, and instead focus on protecting Australians from predatory industries like this by banning all online gambling advertising. Until that happens, people, including children will continue to be exposed to gambling ads that normalise the practice.
PM likens Labor team decision making to team sports
Q: But they can’t speak their mind about it. And if they do, it’s put down to Greens tactics.
Albanese:
Well, that’s not true. The contradiction … was there in Senator Payman’s interview yesterday, which she chose to do in order to disrupt Labor and what we are doing today, the day before the most significant assistance that has been given to working people in a very long period of time.
That was a decision that Senator Payman made and Senator Payman made alone.
… If you are a member of a team, you know – I watched the Hawks win their fifth game in a row yesterday. The way that they won was that they’re not the best team on paper, but they act as a team. They pass the ball to each other. They don’t just kick at random. They don’t say, ‘We won’t worry about the rules, we’ll throw rather than handball’.
… They listen to the coach’s instructions.
Labor is a ‘broad party’ with a ‘diversity of views’, Albanese says
Q: She’s a young Muslim woman following her heart, though. And I just want to ask, just to put this to you, what about the Muslim Australian community? It’s not like she’s crossed the floor on something like tax policy. This is an issue that goes far deeper than that for many voters. What would you say to them who are hearing this? Is it enough to say, “Look, sorry, that’s just not the way we do things in the Labor party”?
Albanese:
Well, I engage very directly with the Islamic community in my own electorate and indeed throughout Australia with faith leaders of all faiths. And I understand that this is a very difficult period that we are going through, which is why we need actually real solutions, not gestures and stunts from the Greens that were designed, be very clear, this stunt from the Greens was designed to put Fatima Payman in a difficult position. It was designed to do that.
It wasn’t designed to assist Palestinians in Gaza. It wasn’t designed to advance the peace process. And it was counterproductive.
Q: Does it not suggest, forgive me for interrupting, prime minister, but does it not suggest, though, that if you want more diversity in your party, which is a good thing … that is going to mean there is a diversity of views, and maybe that means loosening up this idea that there always needs to be 110% party unity?
Albanese:
No, you have a diversity of views expressed in the Labor party. And we are a broad party, we’re a party full of people who have strong ideas and strong values.