John Howard Joins Bipartisan Group Urging Albanese Government to Toughen Gambling Reforms

Former prime minister John Howard and a group of current and former lawmakers signed an open letter urging the Albanese government to strengthen its proposed gambling reforms. The letter states that the government’s current plans leave too many loopholes and fail to properly protect families from an industry that profits from addiction.

The signatories added that the reforms are not sufficient and called for stronger national action, including consideration of a national regulator to address gambling harm consistently across the country.

The open letter was reported on June 5, 2026.