One Nation scores big win for Australian newsagents

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Media Release

 

Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson has claimed victory over the Government’s amendment to the Interactive Gambling Act of 2001, set to be introduced to the lower house this week. The amendment will prohibit betting on the outcome, or a contingency that may or may not happen in the course of the conduct, of a lottery (including a keno draw).

Senator Hanson successfully had changes implemented in 2017 which blocked companies like Lottoland from advertising and taking bets on the outcome of Australian lotteries, but continued to lobby the Government for a complete ban.

 

Senator Hanson said “I refused to sit idle while over 20,000 newsagent jobs were on the line and companies like Lottoland flaunted our laws.”

 

It’s believed the Government will introduce the Interactive Gambling amendment ahead of the Easter break.

 

“There are over 4000 newsagents across Australia and no matter which town you visit, whether it be Longreach, Townsville or any of our cities, each one of them have early starts and late finishes in an industry that would have been wiped out without these changes” Senator Hanson said.

 

“We have seen the demise of our taxi industry in this country through slow Government intervention and I wasn’t about to see our Newsagents go down the same path.”

The amendment will also scrap betting on the outcome of Keno which also threatened clubs & pubs across Australia.

 

“Over 250,000 people are employed in pubs and clubs throughout this country and the threat to Keno was also set to hit local hospitality workers.”

 

Senator Hanson said “These might appear to be small wins for One Nation, but I can assure people that it’s these small things that affect so many people who have previously felt ignored.”

 

“Newsagents have fought alongside me for almost 2 years, but we finally have an outcome they should be happy with.”

 

Changes will take effect 6 months following Royal Assent of the Bill to allow gambling operators and consumers to adjust their business and betting practices respectively.