Robbie Cooke: Star Entertainment Group CEO reveals future of Gold Coast development
New Star Entertainment Group CEO Robbie Cooke has revealed the future of the company’s $2bn Gold Coast development amid a storm of controversy. FULL Q&A
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ROBBIE Cooke is facing a tremendous challenge after taking on the role of Star Entertainment Group’s chief executive officer and managing director.
He sat down with the Bulletin this week to discuss his new role and what it means for Star’s development plans on the Gold Coast.
GOLD COAST BULLETIN: What motivated you to go for the job at what is obviously a time of major transition for the business? How daunting is the challenge you have in front of you?
ROBBIE COOKE: You look at this business and it’s amazing. Three properties in perhaps the best jurisdictions in the country. Issues have occurred, and we’re committed to working our way through them. We accept there is a lot to do to earn back trust and the necessary improvements will be made. What appealed to me from the outset were the fundamentals of great assets in great locations and thousands of great hardworking people. So, from my perspective, we want to navigate the problems we are facing at the moment and take this business to the great heights it can achieve.
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GCB: We know you are somewhat limited in what you can say about the Queensland casino inquiry – but where is that process at right now?
RC: We have received show cause notices for our casino licence holding entities in Queensland – for The Star Gold Coast and for Treasury Brisbane. We are in the process of formulating our response to those show cause notices, and that response will be lodged with the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation by 25 November. It will then be in the hands of the government to make determinations in relation to the show cause notices, taking into consideration our response. The most important aspect of our submission is our commitment to do all that is necessary to rebuild the trust we have lost with our regulator, the government and the community at large.
GCB: Criticism of Star at the inquiry included having a “one-eyed focus on profit” – how will that change under your watch?
RC: The whole team understands and acknowledges the concerns that have been expressed in relation to the business, including some of the cultural aspects. So, we’re very alive to that, cultural change is underway, and our focus is to ensure all areas of our business are operating with the highest levels of integrity. As with any gambling business, you’re operating under a privilege granted by government and the community, and if you’re not operating with the highest levels of integrity and compliance, you’re putting that privilege in jeopardy. For me being viewed by our regulators and the governments we work with as being an operator of the highest repute is the best and only way to operate.
GCB: You have described the Gold Coast’s Star property at Broadbeach Island as the “gold star” of the business – why is that and what do you mean by that?
RC: Of our three properties in the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sydney, The Star Gold Coast has benefited from a major reinvestment program. Over the past few years, it’s experienced a major uplift in terms of refurbishing the original hotel, construction of The Darling ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the opening this year of the Dorsett hotel and The Star Residences tower, and a stunning array of new and award-winning restaurants and bars. We have a further hotel and apartments tower under construction. We do have the transformational Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development planned for opening from the second half of next year. But The Star Gold Coast is currently the premier property in The Star portfolio. What is really pleasing with the investment made on the Gold Coast is the strong performance we’ve seen from the property. Not only from a casino floor point of view but from a hotel/accommodation and food and beverage perspective. Our guests have appreciated the uplifts and it just reinforces that if you make the right investments, the return is there. It augurs well for the future of the Gold Coast where we have ambitions to continue investing.
GCB: The progress continues apace on the Broadbeach Island’s $2bn masterplan – the Dorsett tower is complete, the next one is under construction. Still planning to progress the masterplan which has scope for three more towers or will supply chain circumstances, material costs put things on the backburner?
RC: We are currently at level 10 of the second $400 million hotel and apartments tower and progressing on track for a 2024 opening. What underpins our confidence for further expansion is that the current strong performance of The Star Gold Coast has been driven by domestic tourism. We’ve seen high occupancy rates and good average room rates. That strong demand is evidence that the Gold Coast is viewed as the leading destination for domestic holiday makers. We’re confident that when international tourism finally returns on mass the demand for the Gold Coast will be further amplified.
GCB: Star has always predicated its Gold Coast tower rollout on high demand and rosy tourism numbers – what insight if any do you have into the forecast for tourism, domestic and international in coming months, years?
RC: Anecdotally, on top of the strong demand we have already been experiencing on the domestic holiday-maker front, the conference market is also returning with a vengeance. There is no reason to think those positive factors are going to drop away any time soon and when international visitation returns strongly it will only accelerate the demand for the great tourism experiences that we and others can offer on the Gold Coast.
GCB: Before Covid, Star was in talks with the state government about potentially contributing $100 million to a much-needed expansion of the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in exchange for a casino monopoly. Would Star ever reconsider assisting with an expansion of the centre? Under what circumstances?
RC: The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is owned by the Queensland Government, and it would be presumptuous for us to tell them how to deal with that asset. We’ve been extremely proud to manage GCCEC for the government and it’s a relationship we would like to continue into the future with a strong pipeline of major events and conferences already booked in for years to come. There’s no disputing the importance of the convention centre as a key contributor to the Gold Coast tourism market.
GCB: Any other special plans in the wings for either the Star Gold Coast’s Broadbeach Island site or its Sheraton Mirage property?
RC: Nothing more really to add to this one.
GCB: How do you feel about the Gold Coast events calendar? Needs work? More co-ordination? For example the city recently hosted the GC500, Groundwater country music festival and Halloween all across the same weekend.
RC: The Star has always been a committed partner to major events on the Gold Coast and across southeast Queensland. In recent years that has included the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, Magic Millions and the TV WEEK Logies. It’s about being part of the events that matter to this city. In terms of co-ordination, it’s great for one location to have so many events on the calendar at any one time and it brings a diverse audience to the Gold Coast, reinforcing its position as the leading tourism destination in the country. We think there’s been a great job done attracting events to the Gold Coast and Jess Mellor and her team at The Star Gold Coast have done an amazing job ensuring we are involved with many of them. We see ourselves as part of this community, a strong advocate for bringing events to the Gold Coast, and we will continue to support that position.
GCB: What do you feel is the Gold Coast’s biggest challenge as it continues to surge with forecasts of growing from a population of 700,000 now to a million by 2041 or even earlier?
RC: Developing transportation infrastructure that can accommodate significant increases in population – and tourism – is clearly something that all growing major cities face. The light rail was a great step for the Gold Coast, but an expansion to the airport is rightly receiving strong support. The airport has been making significant strides with direct routes from London, Los Angeles and South-East Asia, a new multi-level terminal expansion, retail outlets and additional capacity, and continuing uplift will no doubt occur. Importantly, the road and rail connectivity between Brisbane and the Gold Coast needs to continue to be prioritised.
GCB: What sort of branding messaging would you like to see the Gold Coast promoting to the outside world particularly with the opportunity of the 2032 southeast Queensland Olympic Games?
RC: The beauty of the Gold Coast is that it appeals to everybody. From families with young kids to international jet setters, the GC has it all. It’s that diversity of the offer, the ‘something for everybody’ that makes the Gold Coast so special. In terms of the branding, I’ll leave that to the marketing experts.
GCB: If money was no object, what should be the Gold Coast’s number one priority?
RC: Find a solution to what can be the snail-paced commute between the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
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