James Packer rips into ‘least favourite person’ Daniel Andrews in scathing interview
Casino billionaire James Packer has launched a blistering attack on Daniel Andrews, labelling the former Victorian premier his “least favourite person” in a rare tell-all interview.
Casino billionaire James Packer has ripped into former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, labelling him his “least favourite person” and “human filth”.
Mr Packer was scathing about Mr Andrews’ impact on the state of Victoria and its skyrocketing debt as he detailed his hatred of the Premier in a tell-all interview.
“What he’s done to the balance sheet of Victoria is impossible to fix … I couldn’t speak more lowly of Daniel Andrews. I think he’s human filth … I hope he sues me”,” Mr Packer said on Joe Aston’s Rampart Talks podcast.
He also took aim at the former premier for changing the casino’s tax arrangements while Crown Resorts was actively negotiating an $8.9bn acquisition by global private equity firm Blackstone in 2022.
“Daniel Andrews is about my least favourite person in the world. I think Daniel Andrews not only ruined Victoria, he almost ruined my life,” he said.
“With three weeks to go f------ Daniel Andrews changes the tax rates on Crown and rips $50m out of Crown and gives no compensation.
“It’s a miracle that Blackstone didn’t activate the material adverse change clause. I thought that was appalling behaviour. I’m looking forward to seeing Daniel Andrews in person and speaking far more aggressively than I.”
Mr Andrews held a Royal Commission into the casino, along with a number of other inquiries into Crown during that period. He later had a secret meeting with US private equity giant Blackstone after he resigned from politics.
The former premier was approached for comment about Mr Packer’s comments, which are an example of rare condemnation of Mr Andrews from the billionaire class.
The former premier is a close friend of Australian businessman and trucking magnate Lindsay Fox. He has also been linked with Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, the miner-turned-renewable-energy-enthusiast, through Mr Andrews’ new private business firms.
Most recently, Mr Andrews drew widespread criticism including from senior Labor figures when he visited China and attended a military parade in Beijing alongside dictators Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un.
While Mr Packer gave Mr Andrews a blistering assessment, the billionaire praised embattled US President Donald Trump, saying they met at a dinner during the president’s first term, and that “he couldn’t have been nicer”.
Mr Packer also spoke about his friendships with Australian media moguls, praising chairman of News Corp – owner of the Herald Sun – Lachlan Murdoch as “one of my favourite people in the world”.
He also confirmed that he and Seven West boss Kerry Stokes were still close friends.
During the rare tell-all interview, Mr Packer also spoke openly about his struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
“The reality is I had substance abuse issues. What caused them, again, falls at my feet. I was under a lot of pressure in business, so I had a lot of debt, a lot of obligations, I was under a lot of pressure and I was drinking way too much. I was in a bad place.”
Mr Packer said Mr Stokes had helped him at the darkest times of his journey, along with a high‑placed Israeli figure.
When asked directly if Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had helped get him into rehab, Mr Packer responded: “All I can say is the Prime Minister of Israel was a dear friend to me when I needed help, and I will never forget that.”
“He’s obviously an incredibly divisive figure at the moment. I think he’s probably the most impressive man I’ve ever met,” he told the podcast.
Mr Packer has now been sober for two years and is preparing to return home to Australia, specifically Sydney for Christmas to visit his mother.
He splits his time between his $175m mega‑mansion in Bel‑Air, California, and his $200m superyacht, and rarely returns home stating he hadn’t “spent more than six weeks in Australia in the last 10 years” largely due to his “bittersweet relationship with the Australian Tax Office”.
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