Minister's Words To Gambling Reform Advocate 'Shocking'.
Communications Minister Anika Wells is under fire from a host of supporters and crossbenchers for informing a former betting addict to persuade wagering companies about reforms, not her.
Kate Seselja got rid of a pokies addiction that practically resulted in her taking her own life.
Ms said Ms Wells informed her during a meeting in August 2025 it was not the minister who required convincing about betting reforms however the wagering companies, tv networks and sporting codes that produced earnings from gambling.
"I was flabbergasted," Ms Seselja informed AAP.
"To be asked if I had actually attempted to have conferences with them, as a lived experience advocate, was horrific.
"To have that level of disconnect to the truth of betting harm dealt with by countless Australians, to recommend that people with lived experience go consult with these predators, made me lose belief in the political system."
Fellow supporter Anna Bardsley from the Gambling Harm Lived Experience Experts (GHLEE), who likewise participated in the meeting, supported the exchange.
Ms Wells' workplace did not reject the comment was made, stating the minister welcomed the chance to meet the 2 supporters to listen to their experience with gambling harm.
A spokesperson indicated Labor government measures consisting of the intro of the self-exclusion register BetStop, a ban on credit cards for online gambling and modifications to alerting taglines after ads.
"The Australian government takes seriously our duty to secure Australians, particularly young and vulnerable individuals, from the damages of online betting," the representative stated.
Independent MP Kate Chaney branded the minister's remarks a betrayal of Australians experiencing gambling harm, saying they were "stunning but regrettably not unexpected".
"Being informed to lobby the betting industry yourself, after a decade of steadfast advocacy and nearly losing your life to dependency, is an extensive failure of leadership," she said.
Ms Seselja said staff from the communication minister's office informed her to keep defending reforms during a subsequent meeting in March.
"I really broke down and lost it at the staffer, since I stated to her, if you're not going to do your task, then resource GHLEE to do it," Ms Seselja stated.
"People are passing away and nobody is stopping the carnage."
Independent senator David Pocock explained Ms Seselja's recount as deeply unpleasant, while independent MP Monique Ryan attacked the government for stopping working to take obligation for the problem or stand up to vested interests.
Alliance for Gambling Reform chief supporter Tim Costello branded the remarks and inaction on the issue "a total failure of government", adding he was gobsmacked the federal government had actually not reacted to a gaming harm report launched almost 1000 days earlier.
The landmark report into betting damage bied far in June 2023 by late Labor MP Peta Murphy recommended a phase-out of advertising, curbing temptations and an overarching national harm-reduction framework.