Mark McGowan quiet on Crown royal commission job for Neville Owen
Mark McGowan has repeatedly refused to answer whether he put forward Neville Owen as the head of the state’s royal commission into Crown’s Perth casino.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has repeatedly refused to answer whether he put forward Neville Owen as the head of the state’s royal commission into Crown’s Perth casino.
Mr Owen’s role is under scrutiny following his disclosure last week of a friendship with Perth billionaire Kerry Stokes. Crown’s major shareholder, James Packer, has said he has had “no better friend” than Mr Stokes and two senior representatives of Mr Stokes’s business empire are or were involved in senior roles within Crown itself.
WA Police Minister and former gaming minister Paul Papalia told Perth radio station 6PR on Wednesday that he believed Mr McGowan had put forward Mr Owen as a candidate for the royal commission’s lead role.
Mr McGowan has repeatedly said that Mr Owen’s relationship with Mr Stokes did not constitute a conflict of interest, but on Wednesday repeatedly refused to explain how Mr Owen’s name was put forward as a candidate for the royal commission.
He said only that the decision was a result of the cabinet process.
“It was something that was decided by the cabinet, I couldn’t tell you exactly how,” he said.
Mr Owen, he said, was an eminent jurist who was above reproach.
“I realise there’s this grand conspiracy theory being created, but there are no conflicts. He doesn’t have any interests in casinos, he doesn’t have any interests in hotels. None of the parties do,” Mr McGowan said.
“There will no doubt be people who want to undermine the royal commission for their own reasons. That will be the real story.”
Mr Owen disclosed his friendship with Mr Stokes last week, ahead of the appearance at the royal commission by Seven West Media WA chief executive Maryna Fewster. He has since amended his disclosure, following revelations that he was also on the board of at least three of Mr Stokes’s companies.
Neither former Crown deputy chairman John Alexander – who is also on the board of Seven West – nor Mr Packer have yet been called by the royal commission.
Mr Stokes and Mr Packer are particularly close, with Mr Stokes intervening during the breakdown of Mr Packer’s relationship with Mariah Carey. He arranged for Mr Packer to visit a mental health facility in Israel and took over his financial affairs during that period.
Then-gaming minister Mr Papalia originally announced a two-person inquiry into Crown’s WA operations earlier this year. That was later expanded into a royal commission, with Mr Owen joining the other two appointees as the lead commissioner.
Mr Papalia said he believed it was Mr McGowan who raised Mr Owen as an appointee.
“The Attorney-General, the Premier and myself discussed the fact that Neville was there and potentially someone else would be put on to that inquiry,” he said.
The royal commission is investigating Crown’s suitability to retain WA’s only casino licence, as well as the functioning of the state’s regulator.
An interim report by the commission, tabled in WA’s parliament on Tuesday, made no recommendations or findings but said there were “serious questions” about the WA Gaming and Wagering Commission’s ability to identify and address any conflicts of interest.
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