Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, today moved a motion in the Federal Parliament calling on the Government to establish a Royal Commission into Crown Casino. Neither the Government nor the Opposition supported it despite the shocking allegations of Crown’s links to organised crime, illegal offshore activities, insider trading, money laundering, illegal modification of gambling devices, domestic violence and drug trafficking.
“The Government and Opposition must put an end to their protection racket,” Mr Wilkie said. “Surely the revelations that are coming out almost daily from the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority’s inquiry into Crown is enough to force the LNP and Labor to pull their support from this festering corporation.
“Nor can the Government continue with the nonsense that the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity has looked at Crown and all is well. ACLEI’s superficial examination of Crown was little more than a distraction.
“The Liberal and Labor parties’ protection racket obviously remains in good shape and this was seen again by everyone today. For the major parties to continue to ignore the abhorrent behaviour of Crown is a shocking indictment of the depth that politics has plunged, and the symbiotic relationship Crown and the political establishment enjoy. Crown has donated almost $1.5m to the major parties in the last ten years and what a great investment that’s been.
“Moreover, time and again we have seen agencies neglect to do their job. The failures of at least the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation, Victoria Police, ASIC and until now AUSTRAC demonstrate yet again why it is so important to establish a strong independent inquiry into Crown. And the behaviour of the LNP and Labor show why a federal integrity commission remains so vitally important.”