National Framework on Problem Gambling 2004-2008

• Ministerial Council on Gambling (MCG)
• National Framework on Problem Gambling 2004 - 2008
• Gambling Research Australia (GRA)
• Current Activities

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The Ministerial Council on Gambling (MCG)

Following the December 1999 release of the Productivity Commission's report, Australia's Gambling Industries, the Commonwealth Government established a Ministerial Council on Gambling (MCG) aimed at achieving a national approach to the challenge of problem gambling in Australia.

The MCG comprises the Ministers with responsibility for gambling in each of the Australian States and Territories. It reports to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and is chaired by the Commonwealth Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP. The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs provides the secretariat for the MCG.

The aim of the MCG is to minimise the negative social impacts of problem gambling by exchanging information on responsible gambling strategies, and providing a national forum for discussing common issues to facilitate the development of effective interventions and responses.

National Framework on Problem Gambling 2004-2008

In November 2000, COAG requested the MCG to develop a national framework on problem gambling to be implemented primarily by State and Territory Governments, and based on four central themes:

• prevention
• early intervention and continuing support
• building effective partnerships
• national research and evaluation.

In 2004, a four-year national framework on problem gambling was approved. The aim of the framework is to minimise the negative consequences of problem gambling to individuals, families and the community through a national approach.

The national framework on problem gambling is built upon the following principles:

• The community has a right to accurate and balanced information on gambling, on the risks associated with gambling, and on available support services.
• Gamblers, the gambling industry, the community, support service providers, State, Territory and Federal governments all share the responsibility for minimising the harm associated with problem gambling.
• While State and Territory governments are responsible for ensuring regulatory frameworks minimise problem gambling, harm minimisation measures can be enhanced when developed and implemented through collaborative partnerships that build on current best practice.
• Research and evaluation are essential to ensure that initiatives are likely to minimise problem gambling without unintended negative consequences for the community.

The key focus areas, objectives and strategies of the framework are:

• Public Awareness, Education and Training - to promote a greater understanding of the nature of the gambling product, the potential for harm and the availability of help and support.
• Responsible Gambling Environments - to minimise the likelihood of recreational gamblers developing problem gambling behaviours.
• Intervention, Counselling and Support Services - to enhance problem gambling support and treatment services that are effective, accessible and culturally appropriate.
• National Research and Data Collection - to inform the implementation and further development of the national framework and its strategies.

Responses to the national framework have now been largely implemented by the States and Territories. Over the past five years, States and Territories have spent more than $200 million on responsible gambling and harm minimisation measures, such as telephone and face-to-face counselling services, public awareness and education campaigns, research, partnerships with community groups and support for problem gamblers and their families.

• Ministerial Council on Gambling Progress Report to Council of Australian Governments on Implementation of The National Framework on Problem Gambling 2004-2008 (NFPG) December 2005 - RTF [56kB] | PDF [50kB]

Gambling Research Australia

http://www.gamblingresearch.org.au/

The Ministerial Council on Gambling (MCG) established a national gambling research program, known as Gambling Research Australia (GRA) with the focus of developing a range of measures to be implemented by the States and Territories. The Victorian Office of Gaming and Racing provides secretariat services to GRA.

The MCG approved a research plan for GRA in July 2004. The plan, based on the National Framework on Problem Gambling 2004-2008, outlined the research projects to be commissioned over the four years to June 2008.

The priority research areas are:

• a national approach to definitions of problem gambling and consistent data collection,
• the feasibility and consequences of changes to gaming machine operation such as pre-commitment of loss limits, phasing out note-acceptors, imposition of mandatory breaks in play and the impact of linked jackpots,
• the best approaches to early intervention and prevention to avoid problem gambling,
• a major study of problem gamblers, including their profile, attitudes, gambling behaviour and the impact of proposed policy measures on them,
• benchmarks and on-going monitoring studies to measure the impact and effectiveness of strategies introduced to reduce the extent and impact of problem gambling, including studies of services that assist problem gamblers and how effective these services are,
• research into patterns of gambling and strategies for harm reduction in specific communities and populations, such as Indigenous, rural, remote, culturally and linguistically diverse, young people and older people.

Current Activities

National Snapshot of Harm Minimisation Strategies in Australia

On the 20th of October 2008 the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin released a National Snapshot of Harm Minimisation Strategies in Australia. The snapshot was developed by the Ministerial Council on Gambling and contains up-to-date information, on a state-by-state basis, of measures to protect people from the dangers of gambling. The National Snapshot of Harm Minimisation Strategies in Australia contains the most recent information and will be updated regularly.


Ministerial Council on Gambling (MCG) Meeting 25 July 2008

The Ministerial Council on Gambling met in Melbourne on 25 July 2008, continuing its work in developing a national approach to tackling problem gambling in Australia through agreeing to:

• create a single national website for the provision of online counselling for people affected by problem gambling;
• create a single national 1800 problem gambling helpline;
• continue the national gambling research program for a further five years; and
• develop a National Work Program based around three key priority areas:
  • helping individuals set their limits, including access to cash and pre-commitment technologies;
  • responsible gambling environments, through staff training and problem gambler identification;
  • gaming machine standards, developing mechanisms for better consumer protection.

New Productivity Commission Inquiry

In July 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) endorsed an update of the 1999 Productivity Commission Inquiry into Gambling. The 1999 report, Australia's Gambling Industries, was Australia's first independent national study into the economic and social impacts of gambling, and the effects of the different regulatory structures that surround the gambling industries. The gambling landscape in Australia has undergone significant changes since the 1999 report. There has been a growth in research, significant changes in electronic gaming machines (poker machines), and changes in state and territory gambling legislations.

Related Information

National Problem Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
Ministerial Council on Gambling Secretariat mcgsecretariat@fahcsia.gov.au
A National Snapshot of Harm Minimisation Strategies