The Federal election campaign has clocked past the half way mark and the leaders have now met each other in the debating ring - for the second time - to make their pitches to Australians.

It comes on the back drop of Indonesia assuring Australia any Russian request to station long range aircraft in Papua province was not entertained. 

New analysis conducted by Reuters has revealed politicians from both of Australia's main political parties received almost a quarter of a million dollars worth of free tickets to major Australian sporting matches all while parliament was mulling over a proposed ban on gambling advertising.

According to the report the tickets were handed out over nearly two years by the country's most popular sporting leagues.

The major sporting codes have been lobbying against a ban on gambling advertising - which was a key recommendation of a 2023 parliamentary inquiry into the harms of online gambling and which the government is yet to respond to.

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