During Question Time on 30 March 2022, I asked the Attorney-General about conducting a public inquiry into Star Entertainment.
You can read the full question and answer below, or in the Official Queensland Parliament Record of Proceedings (Hansard).
Mr BERKMAN: My question is to the Attorney-General. In light of revelations that Labor and LNP donor Star Entertainment seems to have intentionally concealed money laundering in its Gold Coast casino, will the Attorney-General commit to public hearings on whether Star is fit to hold a casino licence like those being held in Victoria and New South Wales?
Ms FENTIMAN: I thank the member for the question, and I do take the allegations of money laundering very seriously. I am aware that the managing director and CEO of Star Entertainment, Matt Bekier, resigned on Monday over issues raised in an ongoing inquiry into Sydney’s Star casino.
In Queensland the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation is continuing investigations along with AUSTRAC and the Queensland Police Service into Queensland casinos. OLGR is working very closely with the current New South Wales public hearings and has been down there to meet with its New South Wales counterparts, as it did with the Crown inquiry which began with the Bergin inquiry and then the subsequent inquiries in Victoria and Western Australia. OLGR is also engaging regularly with AUSTRAC and QPS to facilitate improved information exchange between the regulators, and the government will very carefully consider the allegations made in relation to Star—it will continue the investigations that are underway—and also the outcomes of any inquiries.