Crossbench MPs are calling on the minister to abandon his portfolio over Sportsbet donations

In response, Rowland read out a written statement saying she complied with donation disclosure rules.

“We are committed to reducing harm from online gambling,” she said.

Rowland was strongly defended by House Secretary and Leader Tony Burke, who said the Crossbench MPs had not argued that Rowland broke the rules.

He told Parliament there was no evidence that Rowland favored betting companies in her decision-making and that she had in fact done the opposite by spearheading the government’s harm reduction agenda in the face of industry lobbying.

“The Minister of Communications is a person of exceptional ability and impeccable integrity,” he said. “I have known the minister for many, many years.”

Although Rowland was not a minister at the time of the Sportsbet donations, Sharkie accused her in Parliament of violating clause 3.21 of the ministerial code of conduct, which states: “Ministers shall not seek or accept any advantage or other valuable consideration for themselves or for themselves to others in connection with the performance or non-performance of any part of their official duties as ministers.”

Tim Costello, lead attorney for the Alliance for Gambling Reform, urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to remove Rowland from her portfolio.

The prominent anti-gambling advocate claimed his organization was unable to secure meetings with Rowland, a claim this imprint was unable to immediately confirm.

“Now discovering that she was accepting funds from Sportsbet means we’ve all lost faith in her,” he said in an interview with this legal notice. “She should resign.”

Waters said in a statement that it was untenable for Rowland to continue to regulate some areas of gambling, which it does through its oversight of the Interactive Gambling Act and the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

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Sportsbet and the online gambling umbrella organization lobbied Rowland on matters related to the law and the Media Authority.

“It is clearly untenable that the minister should remain the gaming regulator when she has such a comfortable relationship with betting shops when our donation laws are so weak that they have not been broken,” Waters said. “These donations are an insult to voters and advocates of gambling reform across Australia.”

Daniel said she had no intention of humiliating Rowland or engaging in a witch hunt.

“This is about ethics,” she said in Parliament. “This is one of the hottest topics to discuss when I bring it up.”

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