AUSTRALIA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Sven Burchartz and Jessica Bell, Kalus Kenny Intelex
consumer protections, the final report made 31 recommendations to be implemented over four phases. This included banning all online gam - bling advertising and commentary on odds dur - ing, and one hour either side, of a sports broad - cast, as well as on uniforms and in stadiums. The Australian government’s decision to delay the introduction of the reform legislation cited that further consultation was required to ensure any new measures would be effective. However, the delay has reportedly frustrated many, including those in the gambling industry who have scaled back marketing to better align with the shifting public views on gambling. The delay has also reportedly led to other organisations making use of the delay and ramping up their promotional activities. Undoubtedly, what the Australian government decides to do, and how they decide to do it, will be a development to watch over the coming year as the result will have a significant impact on the broadcasting of sport in Australia. Conclusion 2024 was an interesting and exciting year in Aus - tralian sport, with the success of many of our women at the Olympics, Paralympics and in the 2024-25 Women’s Ashes Series. The success of Australian athletes in all different disciplines will no doubt support the growth of participation of young girls in a range of sports, from athletics to cricket.
The past year also highlighted the way in which attitudes globally are shifting towards transgen - der athletes. In particular, the changes in netball have highlighted that the view of international sporting bodies of some sports are not neces - sarily aligning with local sporting bodies, which in turn has an impact on player selection at the elite levels of sport. The way in which concussion is dealt with in var - ious disciplines continues to evolve, even in non- contact sports, such as motorsport. Sporting bodies are being forced to consider the effects of concussion and how instances of concussion should be handled. In contact sports, the con - cussion conversation is likely to continue as cur - rent players become older and continue to suffer the long-term effects of concussion. We expect that the cases we have seen to date within the AFL will not be the last of their kind. AI continues to evolve in the Australian sports industry. We expect that as AI evolves further, the Australian government and national sporting bodies may be forced to introduce legislation and regulations to ensure the safe and respon - sible use of AI in the future. Finally, one development to watch with a keen eye over the coming year will be how the Austral - ian government decides to implement the rec - ommendations made by the Committee regard - ing online gambling advertising. The result will have a significant impact on the broadcasting of advertisements before, during and after sporting events on Australian television.
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