Victoria needs proper review into Crown casino

We must have a proper judicial review into Crown casino after it took a Sydney inquiry to uncover what was going on here.

Melbourne is supposed to be the boring straight honest dull sibling of Australia’s harbourside Sin City.

That it has taken an inquiry in Sydney to uncover what has been going on here makes you wonder if the reputation is really deserved.

Because it is almost beyond belief that it took until mid-December last year for the Victorian Government to establish an inquiry to “investigate the suitability of Crown casino to hold Victoria’s sole casino licence.

By that time of course the NSW’s Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority had heard enough evidence to make it odds on that Crown was going to lose its licence to operate in Sydney.

Crown’s Melbourne complex at Southbank. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Penny Stephens

Yet, here we are well into February and the review has yet to begin, indeed we don’t even know who the “special investigator” will be.

The ILGA report landed on Tuesday and as predicted it has indeed placed in peril Crown’s prospects in NSW.

And the immediate response of the Victorian Government? Silence. No press release. No appearance in front of the media by relevant minister Melissa Horne.

Asked about it at his press conference on Wednesday the Premier seemed completely relaxed, saying “it’s a bit early” to say what the Government plans to do about the report.

Was it embarrassing for Victoria that it took an inquiry in NSW to uncover what has been going on Southbank?

“I wouldn’t say that – I wouldn’t say that at all,” he said.

As for who would be running the probe into the Crown’s activities here, there will be an announcement shortly.

The Premier replied that we’ll just have to be patient as they work through the report.

Premier Daniel Andrews’ response to the Crown allegations has been to do very little. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Geraghty

One thing the he was keen to stress – repeatedly - was that the Victorian probe and the review of Crown’s licence had been prompted by admissions the company had made to the ILGA inquiry.

Why he thinks this makes things any better from his Government’s point of view is a mystery.

Doesn’t it invite us to speculate what would have happened in Victoria if Crown hadn’t ‘fessed up?

The bald fact is the Victorian regulator was unable to uncover any of the things at the centre of the NSW inquiry.

It took the media to do the job the bureaucrats are paid to do.

And remember even after the allegations were made about money laundering and crime gangs and all the rest of it – allegations Crown took out full page ads to reject – the Premier was not terribly interested.

Asked in July 2019 about the performance of his regulator the best he could offer was: “They’ve got the powers that they need. And anyone who’s got any concerns around Crown or any other operator within our gaming industry should with confidence go forward either to Victoria Police if they think it’s a criminal matter or go to the VCGLR.”

No one could say that with a straight face today which is why it’s incredible the Premier seems to think it’s good enough this regulator be left in charge of the Victorian reviews into Crown.

That won’t wash.

The Opposition is right: Victoria needs a proper judicial review into the casino.