Crown board to front WA royal commission but Packer still an unknown

The remaining directors of Crown Resorts are set to front a royal commission into the company next month – but it remains unknown if James Packer will too.

Crown Casino carpark deserted during a WA lockdown.

The remaining members of Crown Resorts’ board of directors and just one former director have been granted leave to appear in front of WA’s royal commission into the company’s Perth casino – leaving it unknown as to whether major shareholder James Packer will make an appearance.

In a 12 minute-long second hearing of the commission into Crown’s suitability to operate the Burswood Casino in Perth, commissioners Neville Owen, Lindy Jenkins and Colin Murphy granted leave to appear to an initial group of witnesses far smaller than the group that fronted the NSW Bergin inquiry into the company last year.

The members of the rump Crown board – which was halved in size after the Bergin inquiry criticised many of its members in its report released in February – had their request to seek leave to appear via corporate law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler granted.

It means executive chairman Helen Coonan will appear alongside current board members Jane Halton and Antonia Korsanos while former SkyCity boss Nigel Morrison will make his public debut as a director for the company after being officially appointed to the board earlier this month. 

Former director John Horvath, who officially stepped down on Mr Morrison’s appointment, will also appear. But names long associated with Crown like Andrew Demetriou, Harold Mitchell, John Alexander, Ken Barton, Michael Johnston and James Packer were not mentioned.

However, Mr Owen told the commission the list of names granted leave to appear at the hearing was not exhaustive.

“Today is not the only opportunity interested parties will have to seek leave to appear,” he said.

“If at a later time circumstances change or new circumstances emerge where a person believes that they might satisfy the special considerations test … they can apply for leave to appear.”

The Gaming and Wagering Commission of WA and the state’s Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries were also granted leave to appear, as was Crown Resorts and its subsidiary companies generally, including those linked to money laundering activity during the Bergin inquiry.

Former Judge Neville Owen. Picture: Wayne Taylor

The only other individual who sought leave to appear was former WA chief casino officer Michael Connolly, who was made to step aside in February after questions were raised over his social connections with two members of Crown’s legal team.

Mr Connolly was granted leave to appear in relation to terms of reference that ask the commission to inspect the sufficiency of the state’s gaming regulatory regime.

The relatively small number of witnesses granted leave to appear reflects the truncated time frame of the commission, which is expected to produce an interim report in June and a final one in November.

Mr Owen said the commission was considering holding two hearings concurrently when it returned.

“Lawyers acting for more than one individual will need to bear that in mind and make arrangements for in hearing representation accordingly,” he said.

It is expected the commission will reconvene for its third hearing in early to mid May.

Mr Owen said that when witness hearings began he expected all legal representatives to conduct themselves properly.

“It is important to bear in mind that this royal commission is an instrument of the administration of the justice system in its broadest context,” he said.

“As officers of the courts their paramount duty is to the public interest in the administration of justice.

“We would expect no less.”