Because the election attracts ever nearer, staffer group chats are heating up with discuss the right way to earn cash off democracy, based on sources talking to Crikey.
Betting on the federal election is normalised, commonplace and bipartisan, based on sources from all sides of politics talking on the situation of anonymity.
“It’s … extraordinarily prevalent within the Nats and the Libs,” one former Coalition staffer mentioned. “It in all probability accounts for one-third of all group chat messages.”
“Can you set in your story that being a staffer is fucking hell, and we deserve our insider buying and selling for all of the shit we cop from our bosses?”
The previous staffer clarified they didn’t contemplate staffers betting on election outcomes to represent insider buying and selling: “We dwell in a democracy. We don’t rig elections.”
One former Liberal staffer admitted that not solely had they wager on common elections but additionally inside betting swimming pools existed inside celebration places of work.
“I’ve definitely wager on a number of preselections,” they mentioned, including it was “largely for bragging rights”, that youthful workers have been often extra concerned than older workers in election playing, and that they might additionally are typically keen on betting on higher-profile occasions comparable to US elections.
One other Liberal staffer advised Crikey they’d solely actually mentioned election betting with “Labor hacks”.
This pattern was additionally mirrored by a union staffer who noticed, “The union uncles don’t [seem to] take care of political punts, even when they’re all prepared to lose the home on the ponies.” Regardless of that, they confirmed that they “completely” had seen loads of election betting in each Labor and union places of work, together with staffers betting on races they have been engaged on.
The angle to playing on elections seems to be bipartisan, however outdoors of the main events, issues could also be totally different. A NSW Greens supply who spoke to Crikey mentioned that whereas they didn’t doubt it was probably commonplace within the Greens, they weren’t conscious of standard election playing.
“Quite a lot of [Greens] staffers don’t match the standard demographic [of gamblers] I’d say.”
Crikey contacted the parliamentary leaders of all three main events for remark. The Prime Minister’s Workplace directed us to the Labor Occasion’s nationwide secretary, who didn’t reply in time for publication. Peter Dutton’s and Adam Bandt’s places of work didn’t reply for remark.
The codes of conduct for ministers and workers prohibit utilizing data inside authorities for monetary or private acquire. Nevertheless, Capital Temporary experiences there aren’t any related guidelines for backbenchers. Not one of the sources Crikey spoke to prompt that utilizing inside data for playing functions was frequent for staffers.
The Labor Occasion advised Capital Temporary it has banned marketing campaign workers from betting on elections because the early 2000s. The Liberals don’t have any strict coverage however insist playing on elections is discouraged and betting websites can’t be accessed on federal celebration networks.
Unbiased MP Kate Chaney advised Capital Temporary final 12 months she supported a ban on candidates and staffers betting on election outcomes, calling it “outrageous” and a “no-brainer” reform.
It contrasts with the regulation of election betting abroad. In 2024, a police investigation was launched within the UK following allegations that politicians used inside data to wager on the 2024 common election. That investigation was dropped by the Metropolitan Police, with crown prosecutors advising that proof gathered in the course of the investigation didn’t meet the edge to show misconduct in public workplace.
Final week, Crikey reported that betting markets for various key Home of Representatives races had opened, with bookmakers favouring the Coalition to kind the subsequent authorities (though you shouldn’t essentially belief punters over pollsters with regards to predicting Australian election outcomes). On the time of writing, Sportsbet has greater than 50 markets out there to wager on concerning the 2025 federal election, which is but to be formally introduced.
Disclosure: Daanyal Saeed made a complete of $25.50 betting on the 2019 federal election whereas employed for 2 weeks as an ALP campaigner door-knocking and phone-banking. He didn’t realise it was a problem on the time, however… it seems he did breach Labor Occasion coverage.
