Pressure is building on the Albanese government to further restrict gambling advertisements as opposition leader Peter Dutton joins calls from the parliamentary crossbench to regulate betting content.

But Dutton’s call to ban wagering ads during sporting broadcasts was slammed by the peak body for commercial TV, saying the sector was already taking action.

“We are concerned that the opposition’s proposal is not evidence based and will disproportionately hurt local broadcasters,” said Free TV executive, Bridget Fair.

In his budget reply speech on Thursday, Dutton claimed “bombardment of betting ads” was “changing the culture of our country in a bad way and normalising gambling at a young age”.

“I announce that a Coalition government will move to ban sports betting advertising during the broadcasting of games. Ads would be banned for an hour each side of a sporting game,” he said.

“I encourage the prime minister to work with us on this initiative – to get it implemented now.”

The Greens and several newly-elected independent members have been pushing for gambling advertising restrictions.

David Pocock, the former Australian rugby captain, said gambling ads were one of the most common complaints he received from constituents. The ACT senator has organised roundtable meetings between the parliamentary crossbench and experts in gambling, social media and junk food, to discuss harms to children.

“There is a growing movement in the Parliament for meaningful reform, I welcome Dutton into the fold,” Pocock told Guardian Australia.

“Live sport is just one component, the evidence that gambling ads are finding their way into the social media feeds of young Australians is equally disturbing.”

Zoe Daniel, member for Goldstein, will introduce a private member’s bill in the next parliamentary sitting that would entirely ban gambling ads from TV and streaming services.

“I am pleased that at long last the leader of one of our major parties sees gambling advertising for what it is; a scourge normalising betting as integral to sport, grooming young minds, affecting mental health and encouraging gambling addiction,” she said.

“Tweaks to existing regulations have not worked; merely diverting gambling advertising to other programming watched by young people. Only a complete ban will work.

Greens senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, noted her party had long advocated for banning wagering ads, on TV and online including social media.

“If the Albanese government was willing then the parliament could get this done this year,” she said, urging communications minister, Michelle Rowland, to back such changes.

Allegra Spender, MP for Wentworth, called Dutton’s comments “a start” but said she wanted complete bans online and on TV.

A parliamentary inquiry is currently running into online gambling harms, which is probing changes to advertising rules. The government has also made several recent changes to gambling laws, including new mandatory harm minimisation messages on ads, banning use of credit cards for online wagering, and restricting gambling-like activity in video games.

Rowland said the government would await the committee’s report, calling gambling harms “a whole of government concern”.

“We acknowledge there is ongoing community concerns about the harms associated with online gambling, including advertising material,” she said.

“The committee is considering the effectiveness of current advertising restrictions on limiting children’s exposure to gambling products and services, including through social media, among a range of other issues.”

Fair, boss of Free TV, said her group had “engaged constructively” with the parliamentary inquiry.

“We acknowledge the need to balance consumer protection with the public interest in a sustainable local media sector and have supported an evidence based approach on these issues, which are currently being considered by the committee,” she said.

But she was critical of calls to ban gambling ads, claiming it would harm TV broadcasters, and noting gambling ads already faced restrictions.

“There is no evidence that large numbers of children are watching sport late at night or in the hour before sporting events, in fact quite the contrary,” Fair said.

“We would have expected a more considered response to the complex issues being reviewed by the Committee.”