It was the day before the 2014 Melbourne Cup, and Lloyd Williams placed his hand on Dan Andrews’s shoulder, whispering: “You should probably know I am on the executive of the Packer estate, and James is going to kick every goal he can for you.”
The then opposition leader had wanted to ride the wave of euphoria around the race that stops the nation and pick up a few votes along the way, so just three weeks from the state election he took a plunge on getting a warm reception from Williams, the Cup-winning legend.
Andrews made the trip to the Williams stables in Macedon, 60km northwest of Melbourne, and for a while his bet was paying a handy dividend.
A photo opportunity with Williams and his horse, Fawkner (it would finish 10th), was framing the aspiring premier as a punter in sync with the state he wanted to rule.
But parading for the cameras, Williams — the founder of Crown casino, before the Packer family took over the complex in late 1990s — and his whispered advice, picked up by a well-placed Ten camera, became a political controversy.
Within a day, James Packer was forced to deny he wanted to influence the election. “Lloyd is a very close friend of mine, but he did not speak to me before making his comments to Daniel Andrews and they don’t represent my views. I do not intend to get involved in this or any election.”
Andrews deflected, offering this: “I’m not going to run a commentary on that. I’ve been very clear with you I’ve known James Packer for years, and you’d need to speak to him about any further details on that.”
The candid-camera moment is a colourful marker in what has been a complex and tumultuous relationship between Victorian Labor and Crown, stretching back to the mid-1990s.
Then, Labor opposition attack dog Rob Hulls mounted a brutal and effective campaign criticising the casino and its dealings with the Kennett government.
But once in government in 1999, Labor premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby developed a strong working relationship with Crown, lapping up the tax revenue generated at the casino.
It was, in fact, the 2010-14 Liberal government that fell out with Crown when then treasurer (now Opposition Leader) Michael O’Brien slapped a tax rise on its poker machines.
For months now, it seemed the relationship between Andrews and Packer was holding firm. Even in the face of scandalous evidence emerging in the NSW Crown inquiry about what was happening on the banks of the Yarra, Andrews moved slowly.
In December, a special investigation was ordered. But since then, we’ve been waiting for the appointment of a special investigator. Then the WA government moved to look at Crown. Still nothing from Andrews.
But Andrews’s position was not sustainable. He was beginning to look exposed. There was only one way to fix this emerging political problem. And on Monday, in a classic “if you’re going to go late, you’ve got to go big” political move, the Premier ordered a royal commission into Crown.
As for casino founder Lloyd Williams, on Monday he issued a typically polite “no comment” when asked by The Australian for a response to the royal commission, saying only: “I am past making any contribution. Age 81st year … 12500 employees would be my concern.”
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