Family First welcomes former prime minister John Howard’s intervention in the debate over poker machine harm.

His call for national action and criticism of both the Labor Party and the gambling lobby is a long-overdue reminder that real leadership means protecting the vulnerable—not profiting from their misery.

Howard’s words echo Family First’s longstanding position: poker machines are a blight on our communities, and governments are complicit in the harm they cause.

Across Australia, families are being torn apart by addiction, domestic violence is on the rise, and vulnerable people—especially in Indigenous communities—are being targeted. Yet our leaders remain beholden to the gambling industry.

It is no coincidence that the Northern Territory, with the weakest gambling regulations in the country, also records the highest per capita losses—over $2000 per adult each year. This is not entertainment. It is exploitation.

The figures speak for themselves: 184 new pokies in Alice Springs in just four years—174 of them in venues owned by one billionaire.

This is not about local jobs or hospitality. It is about extracting money from the poorest Australians under the guise of legal entertainment.

Family First supports Mr Howard’s demand for a national response. State governments are hopelessly conflicted, addicted to gambling tax revenue.

As gambling reform advocate Tim Costello said, it’s like “Dracula in charge of the blood bank”.

Family First will run candidates at up-coming state elections committed to strong national gambling laws, a cap on poker machine numbers, and a ban on their placement in pubs and clubs, as is the case in Western Australia.

We believe governments should support families, not fleece them. It's time to end the silence and act.

On the red-hot debate about child gender clinics, Dutton can’t work out whether he’s Arthur or Martha.

The Australian people can be persuaded if they are given courageous leadership.