Responsible Wagering Australia Faces Scrutiny Over Access to Parliament

Integrity advocates and crossbench MPs argue that the group’s corporate membership gives the gambling lobby inappropriate proximity to political leaders.

RWA is currently a paid sponsor of the club, which is chaired by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and also counts alcohol companies and fossil fuel firms among its backers. Corporate membership starts at AU$2,500 (US$1,660) and includes access to informal sporting events and social gatherings attended by more than 200 parliamentarians and their staff. While the club’s management stresses that lobbying is not permitted — an “unwritten rule” said to apply on the playing field — critics claim such arrangements blur the line between sport, politics, and industry influence.

Kate Chaney MP, who contributed to a recent inquiry that recommended a complete ban on gambling advertising, said RWA’s presence at the club risked further entrenching the normalisation of gambling in political spaces. “The prime minister must reconsider RWA’s membership,” she argued, calling for the bookmaker lobby’s removal from the initiative.

Concerns have also been raised about how RWA has used the platform. Senator David Pocock condemned a now-deleted LinkedIn post in which the organisation appeared to associate itself with suicide prevention charity Running for Resilience during a club-hosted event. The charity later said it had no knowledge of RWA’s involvement and was “dismayed” by the suggestion of alignment, highlighting the well-documented links between gambling harm and suicide.

RWA chief executive Kai Cantwell has rejected suggestions that the group leverages its club membership for lobbying purposes. “Our regulatory work is conducted through formal channels,” he said, insisting that participation in the Parliament Sports Club was intended purely for social and sporting engagement.

Still, the controversy has reignited broader concerns about the gambling industry’s political influence in Canberra. With pressure growing from crossbench MPs and campaigners, the Albanese government may soon face calls to review the role of corporate members in the parliamentary sports network.