Sorry, no dice: Star fails in bid to have new casino laws watered down
State Parliament’s Legal Affairs and Safety Committee has dismissed Star Entertainment’s attempts to take some of the sting out of proposed changes to the Casino Control Act.
Casino operator Star had hoped that a last-ditch attempt might get Queenslandās proposed tough new casino control laws watered down.
The Parliamentary Committee reviewing the draft legislation updating the Stateās Casino Control Act has rejected all of Starās requested changes.
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman introduced the proposed new rules to Parliament last month following allegations of money laundering, criminal infiltration and other integrity issues raised in casino inquires in other states.
āThis bill will ensure Queenslanders can have confidence in the integrity of our casino laws,ā she said at the time.
Starās submission to Parliamentās Legal Affairs and Safety Committee requested a number of tweaks, which it characterised as drafting changes intended to provide more clarity and procedural fairness.
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Star wanted the Government to soften a proposed new duty on casino entities and associates āto do everything necessary to ensure that the management and operation of a casino is conducted fairly and honestly.ā
This was too black and white for Star, which ārespectfullyā suggested inserting the word āreasonablyā into the new section, to read, āto do everything reasonably necessaryā¦ā
The Committee dismissed Starās request.
Rather, it accepted department advice that Starās proposed change āwould weaken the obligation, potentially inviting unnecessary debate over what constitutes āreasonableā efforts and would make the provision difficult to enforceā.
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In other words, it would create an exploitable legal loophole.
Star also didnāt like the idea that, under the new rules, the responsible state minister could issue āa letter of censureā for bad behaviour without first issuing a show cause notice.
āA censure letter obviously has the capacity to reflect negatively on a casino entity,ā The Star said in its submission.
It requested the right to comment on any proposed letter of censure before it was issued, āconsistent with natural justice and procedural principlesā.
The Committee, which tabled its report on Friday, assured Star that the normal rules of natural justice would apply but didnāt recommend any changes to the draft legislation to accommodate Starās requested amendments.
āThe committee supports the departmentās view that the object of the Casino Control Act is to ensure that the State and community as a whole benefit from casino gambling,ā it said in summary.
It also accepted the departmentās view that āin a circumstance where an act or omission by a casino entity is so serious that it warrants disciplinary action by the Governor in Council, it is necessary, on public interest grounds, for the Governor in Councilās decision to be final and non-reviewable so that the casino entity can be disciplined as quickly as possible and with certainty.ā
In short, no loopholes.
The draft legislation now returns to Parliament for debate and a final vote.
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