On Thursday, 31 July 2025, I asked the Director General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads and the relevant Minister about the revenue obtained from gambling ads on public transport and any plans to ban such advertising.
You can read my quetsion and the Director General's response below in full, or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings here.
Mr BERKMAN: Might I follow up with a further question for the director-general regarding advertising on state government owned transport assets, including things like trains, station signage, roadside billboards and buses. Are you able to tell the committee how much revenue the government received in the 2024-25 financial year from advertising contracts with gambling companies specifically and, if so, what proportion of total advertising revenue does that represent for the department?
Ms Stannard: I can just make a couple of comments about how advertising is done on public transport. For example, through the contracts that we hold with private bus companies who run a number of the bus networks outside of Brisbane, those bus companies manage advertising on board those vehicles and then they net that off the cost that they charge to the state to operate the service. So it is unlikely that I will have visibility, even when we go and seek the data, as to what each of the different components of advertising would be on board those vehicles. Separately we have contracts with the people who build bus shelters for us. You would know the rolling advertising on bus stops. For some of those, Brisbane City Council will provide the stops and so they will hold that advertising contract, for others the state will be a provider. I just wanted to give that context because I do not think that we will have a lot of visibility because many of those contracts are managed by those providers, either the bus operators or the providers of the bus stops. Queensland Rail may be able to give some advice about onboard advertising on the rail stops and stations. I will just understand: your question is about the proportion from gambling as compared to other forms of advertising?
Mr BERKMAN: Yes, I guess I am interested in a total amount that is received through gambling advertising and as a proportion of total advertising revenue to the extent that is possible. I realise it may not be though.
Ms Stannard: I think I understand the question. I think you have heard some of the constraints for us, that we might not have visibility through to that. I just want to make one further note if I may, for the committee’s benefit: there is a review process. If someone finds advertising distasteful, something that they see, we do occasionally receive feedback on that and we do have processes to review whether advertising is suitable. I have had a couple of pieces of feedback this year which we have referred for appropriate review.
Mr BERKMAN: I understand the constraints.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you okay for those details to be sought and brought back?
Mr MICKELBERG: Noting the constraints articulated by the DG, we will aim to get that information. It is quite detailed information. I do not know if we have it, as the DG has just articulated, but if we can get it by the end of the session we will.
Mr BERKMAN: Just a follow-up on the same topic, if I could. I am interested, Minister, and can you advise, whether you or the government is considering a ban on gambling advertising on public transport assets, as we have seen our southern counterparts in New South Wales and Victoria have done recently?
Mr MICKELBERG: We have been really pleased to be able to deliver record investment in public transport here by making 50-cent fares permanent. I make the observation, speaking about advertising, that the former government spent more on advertising 50-cent fares than they did making them permanent. We are not going to make that mistake. We are very pleased to be able to deliver permanent 50-cent fares. It is a great LNP initiative and we will continue to talk about it. I love talking about it in parliament and I will continue to talk about it. In relation to the feedback I get, I was at Roma Street Station celebrating 160 years of Queensland Rail operating in Queensland today with the CEO and hundreds of rail enthusiasts very enthusiastic about the government’s investment in making 50-cent fares permanent. As I said, the former government spent more on advertising 50-cent fares than they did making them permanent.
To the specifics of the member’s question, as the director-general noted, there are existing frameworks in place to ensure that advertising is appropriate and there are appropriate safeguards in place as well to ensure that where members of the public find advertising offensive or inappropriate they can report that. I think that is an appropriate arrangement that is currently in place.
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Mr MICKELBERG: [...] In relation to advertising on public transport, the member for Maiwar asked the amount of advertising revenue from public transport and what portion of that comes from advertising in relation to gambling. I am advised that agreements about advertising on buses are held by the bus operator directly. Operator-held advertising would need to be sourced externally from the operator and their
advertising agreement provider directly. TMR requires its contracted bus service delivery partners to ensure all advertising complies with relevant legislation and industry standards. TMR also plays a role in setting guidelines for acceptable advertising formats to comply with Translink's livery and accessibility requirements.
Under SEQ service contracts, Translink do not request a breakdown of what type of advertising is on buses. As per the vehicle appearance policy, we ask that delivery partners follow any relevant laws, standards or guidelines. The regional contracts follow the same vehicle appearance policy and do not report on any advertising revenue under that contract type and decisions regarding advertising content are generally managed between the advertising agency or the advertiser and the advertising contract holder, which is generally the bus delivery partner.
Further to that in relation to Queensland Rail, Queensland Rail has policies in place that guide what can and cannot be advertised on its assets, whether that is billboards, trains or wraps. Those policies follow Queensland government guidelines. Gambling advertising is currently legal and allowed on Queensland Rail assets. In the financial year 2025 less than $345,000 was received from gambling companies which is less than five per cent of revenue—$6.9 million—and those policies are reviewed regularly.
I would also make the observation that in relation to advertising on public transport, if concerns are raised regarding the content, TMR will refer the customer to lodge a complaint directly with Ad Standards in the first instance via the Ad Standards website. Where a customer provides specific details about an advertisement and the bus service the advertising was displayed on, TMR will also raise the issue with the relevant bus delivery partner for their consideration and action.