Crown Casino founder Lloyd Williams has offered the support of the Packer family to help elect a Labor government in Victoria, in an extraordinary intervention in this month’s election.
Labor has confirmed that Williams made an unsolicited remark to Labor leader Daniel Andrews at a campaign photo opportunity at Macedon, near Melbourne, where Williams has racing interests.
Network Channel 10 political reporter David Woiwod tweeted Williams as saying to Andrews: “I am on the executive of the Packer estate and James is going to kick every goal he can for you.’’ Williams is a close friend of the Packer family, which owns the Casino in Melbourne.
Lloyd Williams told @DanielAndrewsMP "I am on the executive of the Packer estate, and James is going to kick every goal he can for you"
— David Woiwod (@DavidWoiwod10) November 3, 2014
The tweet was based on a recording of the conversation, which happened off-camera. The exact wording of the recording was: “I’m very pleased that, you should probably know I am the executive of the Packer estate, and James is going to kick every goal he can for you.”
Williams had his hand on Andrews’s back when he made the remark.
Last month, Andrews backed a controversial government deal with Crown that would see its licence extended until 2050, with the venue allowed to install almost 130 new poker machines.
The casino will pay the government $250m upfront for the extension. But taxpayers will have to pay Crown up to $200m if future gambling regulations adversely affect the venue’s profits. Critics argued that it was an unheard-of deal unavailable to any other business in the state.
At the time, Andrews said Labor supported it reluctantly. “Our choice was to scuttle this and cost jobs, wave it through, or make the best of a bad lot, and that’s exactly what we have done,” he said.
Gambling reform advocate Tom Cummings said he was disappointed when Labor backed the Crown deal, but not surprised.
“It seems that anything to do with gambling gets bipartisan support these days.
“This is the Packer empire, Labor’s going to win the next election, so let’s get on board with them now.”
Crown is a generous political donor to both sides of politics in Victoria.
In the latest available political donation figures for the 2012-13 financial year, Crown Ltd donated almost $12,000 to the Liberal Party in Victoria and $5,500 to the Victorian branch of the ALP.
