Queensland A-G Yvette D’Ath ruling turns tables on casino rivals

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath refused to extend new rules ­allowing unlimited tables games at Star’s Queen’s Wharf casino to its rivals.

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath at Parliament House in Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath, who had a fundraiser hosted and catered by gambling giant Star Entertainment, refused to extend new rules ­allowing unlimited tables games at Star’s Queen’s Wharf casino to its rivals.

Ms D’Ath, who regulates gaming for the Palaszczuk Labor government, last year rejected a recommendation by senior Department of Justice officials to remove the cap on tables at all the state’s casinos as it had already done with the yet-to-be-built Queen’s Wharf.

Departmental correspondence, obtained under a Right to Information application, shows Ms D’Ath was told by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation it wanted an industry-wide policy “consistent” with the licence awarded to Star’s new casino in Brisbane.

The $3.2bn Queen’s Wharf development is under construction, and will replace Star’s Treasury casino in Brisbane.

While Ms D’Ath rejected a uniform policy, she approved a back-up option to allow more ­tables at Star’s Gold Coast casino.

The correspondence shows Ms D’Ath approved an increase despite Star refusing to disclose how many new gaming tables it planned to use at the casino.

In a ministerial brief, OLGR officials said Star’s Gold Coast cas­ino, which had approval for 142 gaming tables, could address expected increased demand with the opening of its new hotel, The Darling, and plans for future expansion under a $2bn masterplan.

“The Star is reluctant to provide the precise additional number needed as the preferred position is to have the cap removed — referring to the inconsistency across properties with Queen’s Wharf Brisbane having no cap,’’ the ministerial brief told the minister.

“A policy shift regarding maximum table numbers will benefit The Star as it is the only property that has a corresponding demand for additional gaming tables.’’

Officials backed a “consistent” industry-wide approach, telling Ms D’Ath that allowing an unlimited number of tables would not automatically lead to an increase in gambling.

“There is also little risk in an exponential growth in gaming table numbers occurring as a result of the decision to allow an unlimited number of table games, as casino operators are not going to operate more tables than is commercially viable,’’ the brief said.

In approving an increase in ­tables just for Star’s Gold Coast casino, Ms D’Ath said officials had failed to convince her of a need to extend the policy to the gaming giant’s rivals in Townsville and Cairns.

“The brief doesn’t adequately justify why option one is recommended despite the potential criticism,’’ she said.

Last year, The Australian revealed a $125-a-head fundraiser for Ms D’Ath was held in a private dining room at the Treasury Hotel in Brisbane’s CBD in the lead-up to the 2017 state election.

The fundraiser, billed as “The Great Debate: Lawyers Make the Best Politicians”, raised thousands of dollars for Ms D’Ath and included a panel of four former state Labor attorneys-general, among them Paul Lucas, married to Star Group executive external affairs director Alison Smith.

At the time, Star was lobbying the Palaszczuk government not to proceed with plans for a rival second casino on the Gold Coast.

Shadow Attorney General David Janetzki said he would refer the decision to Queensland’s Crine and Corruption Commission.

“Numerous decisions made by Labor’s Attorney-General have had significant commercial benefit for Star,” he said.

“It simply doesn’t pass the pub test. You can’t allow a casino operator to pay for a political fundraiser that has clear links to your personal campaign if you are the Attorney-General.

“I will be referring the Attorney-General to the Crime and Corruption Commission to consider whether this conduct constitutes ‘corrupt conduct’.”

In a statement, Ms D’Ath said she stood by her decisions.

“I stand by all the decisions I made and if anyone has any allegations to make about them they should refer them to the proper authorities,” she said.

“The Star fundraiser organised by the Queensland ALP was fully declared at the time and has always been on the public record.”