When it came to negotiation the terms for James Packer’s new high roller casino in Sydney, the process was carried out mostly behind closed doors. Now that the deal has been approved, The Green are insisting that the details of the deal are revealed to the public. The Greens are mainly concerned about a name that has been blacked out on a document belonging to the gambling regulator.
The regulator states that this has been done for ‘commercial sensitivity reasons’, but The Greens are adamant. They argue that it is important for the public to know who is involved in the casino project and how their roles will affect the operation of the new venue. Next week, The Greens will present their case at state parliament. They will call for the casino license agreements to be released under privilege.
However, the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority states that revealing the blacked out name could be ‘commercially damaging to the licensee’. "The public interest doesn't outweigh the potential harm of disclosure," reads a statement from the ILGA. It certainly sounds suspicious, and The Greens are dedicated to ensuring that the details are brought to light.
Still, Premier Mike Baird confirms that there is nothing underhanded going on with regards to the Barangaroo casino deal. He maintains that the details will be released for all of the contracts shortly. "There's no secrets," he says. "I know the Greens like to talk about conspiracy and secrets but there is none, as much as they look." It certainly is true that The Greens do stir up quite a lot of trouble when it comes to gambling policies.
So, we will just have to wait and see if there is anything to be concerned about, or if it is just some scare tactics.
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