Question Time

PROBLEM GAMBLING

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (14:48): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Gambling a question about a new problem gambling campaign.

Leave granted.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Problem gambling, as I understand it, occurs when a person's gambling causes harm to themselves and/or to those around them, such as a partner, family, friends, or others in the community. When gambling begins to consume more money and time than a person can afford it can affect many parts of their lives, including physical and emotional health, finances, relationships, work and study. I understand that the government has launched a new problem gambling campaign targeting young men. My question to the minister is: will she please update the chamber on the details of this important campaign?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:49): I thank the honourable member for his question. I am pleased to inform the chamber that a new advertising campaign has been launched to target young men who may have a gambling problem. The campaign targets men aged between 18 and 34 who are at risk of developing, or who already have, a gambling problem. The intention of the campaign is to target an audience who are at risk of developing a gambling problem but who are difficult to reach with a general awareness campaign.

This campaign highlights that, in many cases, what problem gamblers stand to win is actually things that they have already lost through compulsive gambling such as relationship breakdowns and, in some cases, loss of employment. The adverts encourage these young men to visit a new website, winbackyourlife.com.au, where they can answer a series of questions about gambling that will provide them with more information about where to get help if they need it.

Dealing with a problem in its early stages can often prevent problem gambling from getting worse, to the point where the gambler may not lose anything at all. The campaign began on 10 April and aims to raise awareness about the signs of problem gambling and the help services that are available. This campaign reflects the commitment of both government and industry in preventing problem gambling.

As we know, the majority of the Australian adult population gambles responsibly, I am pleased to say, with a minority transitioning to behaviours which result in gambling-related harm. Nevertheless, young men can be particularly vulnerable to developing a gambling problem. The internet, mobile phones and other developing technologies present more gambling opportunities and, in this case, the targeted age group can be unaware of their gambling problem or might not know at what stage their gambling has become a problem.

The campaign includes advertising on radio, bus shelters, online and ATM screens. The campaign ran throughout April and will run again throughout June this year. This campaign is simply asking or reminding young males to check their gambling habits and seek help if they think their gambling is getting out of control. The campaign is being funded through the Gamblers Rehabilitation Fund and is a joint initiative of the Australian Hotels Association, the Licensed Clubs Association, the Adelaide Casino and the state government, and I would encourage all honourable members to have a look at the website.

The website links to the problem gambling website, which is administered by the Department for Families and Communities and, as I said, provides helpful information for people who are concerned that they may be at risk in relation to their gambling. We have developed a number of strategies to assist with problem gambling. This is just one of many and I urge honourable members to have a look at the site and promote it to those young men whom they believe may be at risk.