Did the PM try to ‘take out the trash’ with his lame gambling reform? You bet

June 24, 2026 — 5:00am

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It’s been a while now, so let me ask you: were you disappointed with the Albanese government’s long-awaited response to calls for a ban on all those gambling ads on television?

What, you can’t quite remember the announcement? Really? Well, Albo will be pleased. I’m pretty sure he didn’t want you to notice it.

Have you heard the expression “taking out the trash”? Politicians and journalists say it to describe a trick governments use when they want to announce a decision without it being noticed by the voters.

They make the announcement at a time when the media are busy covering some much bigger event of great interest to their audience. The media could return to the announcement as soon as the excitement was over, but they rarely do because by then the story is “old” and the media are obsessed by newness.

You may find it hard to believe the media are so easily diverted from their duty to inform their audience about things they need to know, but it’s true. If I were the editor, I’d make it a point of honour to ensure the pollies didn’t get away with a stunt like this by returning to the announcement as soon as possible; but, in the news business, the caravan always moves on.

In 2023, a parliamentary committee recommended that gambling advertisements be banned. It was chaired by a Labor MP, Peta Murphy, who died of cancer soon after, but not before making an impassioned plea for........

© The Age