Lyne MP Calls For Community Opinion Ahead Of Gambling Reforms

BY LIAM COLLINS

Proposed reforms on gambling advertisements has spurred Lyne MP Alison Penfold to call for community input. 

The Interactive Gambling Amendment Bill 2026, introduced to the Federal Parliament on Thursday, is looking to ban gambling advertising during live sport broadcasts, on sporting uniforms and at sports venues, as well as stronger protections for children online. 

The bill comes three years after the landmark 2023 Murphy review, a parliamentary inquiry spearheaded by the late MP Peter Murphy which sought to research the harms of online gambling and make recommendations.

Alison Penfold released a survey to residents of her electorate, asking locals what they thought of the proposed reforms.

She said we have to be careful of gambling advertising around a younger sporting audience.

"I've heard stories from teachers where kids aren't talking about the footy teams that are playing, they're talking about the odds of who's going to win, and that has real concern," she said. 

So far, her survey has highlighted a majority support for the reforms from its over 500 responses across the Lyne electorate.

Ms Penfold said the clear, straight-forward responses to the survey were incredibly helpful.

"People have certainly got strong views on this... these are very important matters," she said. 

"I really appreciate people telling me their stories, their family stories, the pain and suffering that comes with someone who's been addicted to gambling."

The responses will be used to construct her arguments on the reforms, once it's debated in Parliament in mid-August. 

The survey is available online and is open until July 24. 

Lyne MP Alison Penfold. 

Major PBS Shake-Ups for Community Pharmacy

BY DANEIE GEDDES

Labor's plans to double prescription dispensing periods to 60 days in next month's budget has raised concerns for regional and rural communities. 

It's feared the plan could create severe medicine shortages and delays, with regional communities like the Hunter at the forefront of it's impact. 

With many Hunter residents already facing challenges in accessing medical support, the decision looks to make those challenges even more difficult. 

National President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia Trent Twomey says millions of patients will be worse off.

"I don't want to see a stand-off in any community in Australia where some patients get double the medicine they need, while others get nothing," he said. 

A new poll shows 8 in 10 Australians reject Labor's plans to double prescription dispensing periods.

"The research is crystal clear, Australians do not support a policy if it means pharmacy shelves are bare and patients miss out on vital medicine they need. We are calling on the Federal Government to reconsider," Mr Twomey said. 

National Vice President of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Anthony Tassone, says medicine shortages are not the only concern. 

"It will have a direct flow-on effect to jobs, trading hours and services pharmacies provide to the community."

However, Doctors Reform Society Spokesman, Dr Robert Marr says residents in regional communities like the Hunter should not be concerned. 

"There's nothing to be frightened about. It will save people from the country and everywhere from having to go to the pharmacy twice a month when you can just go once every two months," he said. 

He's reassuring rural residents, the plan is a great advancement for community pharmacy and said the concerns will have more of an impact on pharmacy income than patient health. 

"It's a great cost-saver for patients and for the government, the only people that loose out is pharmacists who won't get as much money from forcing people to go every month," Dr Marr said. 

At this stage the plan is set to go ahead in next month's budget, while many residents and pharmacists continue to rally against its introduction. 

Hunter Seafarers Push Back Against Plan to Bring in Overseas Workers

BY KAYNE STEPHENS

Hunter seafarers have hit out against a plan to add the sector to a priority list for skilled migrant workers.

The Federal Government is proposing to include seafarers as a priority occupation for skilled migration, opening the door to the recruitment of seafarers from overseas rather than employing or training local workers.

The Maritime Union of Australia says Australian workers are already struggling for employment due to economic downturn and travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Union's Newcastle Branch Secretary, Glenn Williams, says workers in the Hunter are being replaced by cheap foreign labour.

He says it would be a major blow for an already struggling workforce.

"In the the Hunter region alone, we would have close to sixty unemployed seafarers that have been devastated by COVID and also the Government's policies  in decimating Australia's shipping.

"So at a time when seafarers are already struggling for employment, this would just absolutely decimate their opportunity to get employment," he said.

Mr. Williams says allowing foreign ships off the coast will replace Australian maritime jobs. 

"It's cheap foreign labour. I think this government doesn't like Australian workers. They want to find the lowest common denominator," he said.

The Union says it's also concerned about the conditions and pay of migrant workers in some circumstances.

"We see examples every day of seafarers being exploited on the Australian coast at the expense of Australian workers," Mr Williams said.

"These people are paid as little as $2 an hour. They're severely exploited, they live in harsh conditions, and it's just terrible treatment."

The Maritime Union's National Secretary, Paddy Crumlin, says Australian fleets are a vital aspect of the nation's infrastructure.

“A smart island nation needs a self-sufficient maritime industry, which is why the Federal Government should be investing in the development of a strategic fleet of local vessels, rather than further weakening our critically-important maritime supply chains.”

Glenn Williams says Australia's coast should be treated like a "blue highway" for Australian fleets to deliver resources during times of crisis.

"If we don't have Australian ships and we don't have Australian crewed vessels, then there's no opportunity for those things to happen in the future," he said.

"It's just crazy at this time when people are struggling and people want to work that they'd be replaced by cheap foreign labour."

Image: Port of Newcastle