Can someone, anyone, explain to me why the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not meet "Kate"?

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She's the young woman who gave evidence to the Peta Murphy inquiry into online gambling. The findings from that report landed three years ago. Andrew Gee, former Nationals now independent MP, gave a rundown in Parliament towards the end of last year.

He explained "Kate" didn't want to be identified. Her brother died by suicide, brought on by gambling. Kate said her brother lost $10,000 a year from his addiction.

She told the gambling inquiry: "This is exactly the burden that our 24-year-old brother was carrying six days before he ended his life. On this particular day he walked into the kitchen with pain all over his face and I could tell something was wrong, so I prompted him, are you OK?

"He could barely find the words. Six days later, my dad, sister and I found him 500 metres from our childhood home. The sound dad made, the look on my sister's face, haunts me every moment of every day."

Kate said her brother's suicide note stated: "I'm so disgusted and revolted with myself that I want to end my life before my addiction ruins more people around me."

Anyhow, I'm not recounting this shocking story for more trauma porn - my god we get enough of that already.

I'm recounting this story because normal people would want to reach out and help this young woman. But not, apparently, the Prime Minister of Australia. He won't even meet her.

What the actual? How is it that a citizen of this nation, who exemplifies the pain so many Australians experience as a result of gambling harms, cannot meet with the PM? She's asked. Apparently he's tried to send "envoys".

And now, even with the ludicrous half-measures this latest bill specialises in based on zero evidence, it looks like he is going to stamp his tiny foot and storm off because no one, not even the........

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