The Bangkok office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned in recent reports that Australia is part of organised crime networks involved in trafficking in wildlife and timber, people-smuggling and money-laundering. Counterfeit medicines are also a global issue. Much of the laundered money in Australia is being used in casinos.
Indeed, the power of casinos in a country is a good indicator of the extent of money-laundering and serious crime networks according to the Environmental Investigation Agency, a non-government organisation in the UK.
The recent allegations against Crown Resorts related to money-laundering and people-smuggling are one indicator of Australia’s involvement in this growing network in Southeast Asia. The Australian government has a good record in taking crimes seriously when they directly affect public health, but it seems reluctant to confront organised crimes conducted through casinos.
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Subscriber only First is the issue of the strict control the NSW Government has held over music festivals recently. Bluesfest Byron Bay was never declared a high risk festival under the NSW Music Festivals Act, and as such, it does not require the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to approve its safety management plan. A spokesman for Liquor and Gaming confirmed the festival had attained the required approvals to go ahead this year. Bluesfest holds a current ongoing on-premises licence that may be utilised to hold the event, he said. The festival is not required to submit a safety management plan for approval under the Music Festivals Act 2019.
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NSW gaming regulator calls for more heads to roll at Crown
FriFriday 19
FebFebruary 2021 at 1:30am
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The NSW gaming watchdog has called for two more Crown directors to resign from the embattled casino empire following the scathing findings of a year-long inquiry.
Key points:
Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority chairman Philip Crawford says Crown directors Harold Mitchell and John Poynton should go
Former Liberal Party leader John Hewson says the Crown deal with the NSW government has got a stench about it
WA police put Crown on notice after seizing $50m in cash
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West Australian police have Crown Resorts on their radar after seizing about $50 million in cash in six months from carriers they believe answer to international drug syndicates.
Most of the cash has been seized from trucks that have also been carting drugs into WA from interstate.
Western Australia Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch.
Peter de Kruijff
Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch, a key figure in the seizures, attended a meeting of WA’s Gaming and Wagering Commission on Tuesday night that recommended an independent inquiry with the powers of a royal commission to investigate Crown Perth.