Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has defended her attendance at a lavish birthday lunch hosted by gambling lobby executives at one Melbourne’s premier restaurants.
The lunch was hosted by the gambling industry peak body Responsible Wagering Australia, whose members include bet365, Betfair, PointsBet, Sportsbet and Ladbrokes, on November 16 last year at Society Restaurant on Collins St.
At a speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Ms Rowland said despite the revelations, first revealed by the Australian Financial Review, were within the disclosure rules.
“I have at all times and will continue to comply with all rules in relation to disclosure and donations that every member of Parliament must comply with this, and every political party must comply with this,” she said.
Before listing the government’s achievements on gambling reform, which includes a national self-exclusion register and banning the use of credit cards for online wagering, Ms Rowland said she had not broken any rules.
“I have at all times and will continue to comply with all rules in relation to disclosure and donations that every member of Parliament must comply with this, and every political party must comply with this,” she said.
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Following the revelations, Ms Rowland was condemned by members of the crossbench, including independent member for Kooyong, Dr Monique Ryan, who last week, tabled a private members bill aimed at enhancing transparency in the lobbying industry.
Undeterred by the criticism, the communications minister said she would continue to attend fundraising events and meet with a “wide variety of stakeholders” relevant to the communications portfolio.
Ms Rowland also admitted that she voluntarily attended the lunch, which was organised through the party’s corporate business arm, the Federal Labor Business Forum, which enables the major parties to circumvent strict donation laws.
“I choose to attend such events,” she said.
Asked later why the federal government couldn’t ban online gambling advertising, Ms Rowland said the relationship between gambling companies and sport leagues had “very much changed”.
“We know that the impact of gambling ads is felt right across the community and the committee made some very important recommendations in that regard,” Rowland said.
“I am consulting closely with a wide range of stakeholders because we need to understand the impacts in this area, but also what changes need to be made in order for it to be more robust in future.”
Last time there were reforms on gambling advertising, Ms Rowland said online wagering had actually increased.
“We need to ensure that we get the policy settings right. But I can assure you that we are at all times guided by the principles of harm minimisation,” she said.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Ms Rowland would continue to attend events hosted by the gambling lobby.