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60 Minutes has revealed the secret inner workings of Australia’s biggest casino, its ties to Chinese crime bosses and communist party figures, drug syndicates, money laundering and alleged sex trafficking rings. CREDIT: 60 Minutes

The 60 Minutes team. Picture: Channel 9Source:Channel 9

Channel 9 had built it up as a story that would “rock the foundations of Australia”, but a 60 Minutes investigation into Crown casinos left many viewers unimpressed.

The year-long investigation looked at tens of thousands of leaked emails which show the secret inner workings of Australia’s biggest casino.

The Sunday night current affairs show claims these emails show Crown’s links to Chinese crime bosses and communist party figures, drug syndicates, money laundering and alleged sex trafficking rings.

In a promo released a few days ago, 60 Minutes said the episode would feature “a story so important it can’t be missed”, which was “set to rock the foundations of Australia”.

The show came about as a result as a major investigation into Crown casinos. Picture: Channel 9Source:Supplied

However, from the get-go it was clear that many viewers felt let down — saying they felt the episode had been massively over-hyped.

Others pointed out that ABC’s Four Cornersran a similar story in 2017 called “Crown Confidential” which included allegations that Crown had “developed a business model based on luring rich Chinese, known as VIP high rollers, to its casinos … in a country where gambling and promoting gambling are illegal”.

The #Ashes promo has been the most exciting part of this earth shattering #60mins story.

— Megan Hustwaite (@MeganHustwaite) July 28, 2019

But The Age journalist behind the story, Nick McKenzie, defended the 60 Minutes exclusive, calling on viewers to judge the story not the promo.

Gay, Mike- I hope you judge the show on its merits, not on the promo!! I reckon you might be surprised at what else we’ve found.

— Nick McKenzie (@Ageinvestigates) July 27, 2019

Others came to the show’s defence, saying it exposed an obscene level of corporate greed in Australia and posed serious questions for the Federal government — particularly given it claimed the Australian Consulate was helping Crown by handing out hundreds of visas to dubious gamblers.

Sacked Border Force Commissioner, Roman Quaedvlieg, even claimed he was encouraged by ministers to help fast-track Crown’s Chinese high rollers through Australia’s borders.

Public interest #journalism bravo @Ageinvestigates we need more of this reporting. Revelations which surely must lead to action by regulators and governments. #60minuteshttps://t.co/aPIAGi1fDg

— Jules Hope (@HopeJules) July 28, 2019

Dirty money, dirty politics - no excuses anymore - we need a National ICAC and we need it now! #60Minutes Thanks @quaedvliegs for keeping the bastards honest as usual! https://t.co/xTKpCSEjeN

— Jacqui Lambie (@JacquiLambie) July 28, 2019

WHAT DID 60 MINUTES UNCOVER?

The investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes, aided by one of the biggest leaks of corporate data in Australia, showed how Crown helped bring criminals into Australia — raising “serious national security concerns”.

One of the journalists who worked on the story, Nick McKenzie, said the emails showed a “lust for profits-proven arrogant culture where almost anything, including courting people with ties to the criminal underworld was not only allowed but encouraged”.

The story alleges that Crown broke Chinese law by promoting gambling and paying Chinese sales staff bonuses to lure big gamblers Down Under.

60 Minutes followed a former employee of Crown Resorts, Jenny Jiang, who spent four weeks in a Chinese prison with drug dealers, pickpockets and prostitutes after she was arrested in October 14, 2016.

Former Crown employer Jenny Jiang spent four weeks in a Chinese prison. Picture: Channel 9Source:Supplied

She was arrested in 2016. Picture: Channel 9Source:Supplied

She was one of 19 Crown staff, including three Australians, who were held in custody and convicted of breaching Chinese laws that ban gambling and its promotion.

These laws include the luring of groups of high-rollers to offshore casinos, which she said she was helping facilitate in her role with Crown.

She also claimed Australian consulate offices in China were helping Crown get fast-tracked visas and she was offered a $60,000 payment offer from Crown to keep quiet about its overseas activities.

Sacked Border Force Commissioner, Roman Quaedvlieg, also appeared on 60 Minutes and said he knew how well-connected Crown was to the Federal Government.

He said he was encouraged by several members of parliament, including two ministers, to help fast-track Crown’s Chinese high rollers through Australia’s borders.

Roman Quaedvlieg said Crown is well-connected within the Federal Government. Picture: AAP Image/Mick TsikasSource:AAP

“I spoke to a sitting member of parliament in addition to two ministers … indicating that Crown, and subsequently the junket operators that worked with Crown, weren’t receiving a facilitated service for private jets coming into Australia, into Perth and Melbourne, and were seeking some arrangements which smoothed out the processes there a little,” Mr Quaedvlieg said.

“It’s very clear that there was a powerful constituency behind the entreaty.”

In a statement to The Age, Crown Resorts denied any breach of Chinese law and added it had not been charged with an offence in China.

James Packer, who was not a Crown executive or director at the time and who sold half his stake in the company for $1.76 billion earlier this year, “adamantly” denied knowledge of Crown’s activities in China with his lawyer telling The Age the businessman had a “passive role” in events.

James Packer ‘adamantly’ denied knowledge of Crown’s activities in China. Picture: AAP Image/Tracey NearmySource:AAP

Reporter Allison Langdon concluded 60 Minutes by saying Mr Packer did not want to be interviewed for the story.

“But he told us he had no knowledge or involvement in the issues we have raised tonight,” she said. “And despite being the major shareholder and public face of the company, he emphasised he was not a director of Crown Resorts at the time its employees were imprisoned in China and hadn’t been for many months before that.”

She added a Crown Resorts spokesperson told them the company does not discuss its relationships with junket operators and other individuals.

“We were also told that even though 19 of its staff pleaded guilty and were convicted and imprisoned in China, Crown didn’t breach Chinese law,” she said. “It seems corporate arrogance has hit a new low.”

Updated August 03, 2019 11:30:13

Let's just refresh our memories, shall we?

Over the last week, there have been allegations published by Nine that Australian consular officials fast-tracked visas for Chinese gamblers, that a Border Force official was moonlighting by providing security for someone wanted by Interpol and that at least two ministers and an MP had lobbied the Department of Home Affairs to help get high rollers into the country more easily.

There were allegations, summarised in Federal Parliament, that mammoth Australian company Crown Casino had 'links to organised crime, money laundering, the improper activity by consular officials, tampering with poker machines, and domestic violence and drug trafficking on Crown property'.

There's been plenty more, of course, rolling out over the course of the week.

Lucky, you would think, that Federal Parliament was sitting, so that the Government was in Canberra, available to be asked questions about these shocking revelations, and of course, to spring into action to do something about them.

Five days later, the extraordinary silence from the major parties on the issue on Monday still lingers as loudly over federal politics as if someone had let off a very large cannon.

Major parties distracted

The Coalition's main focus for the sitting fortnight remained trying to wedge Labor. The Opposition's main focus was on trying to pin corruption allegations on a government minister which, while important to pursue on accountability grounds, didn't quite rate on the same scale as the imputation of systemic corruption involved in the Crown allegations.

The Government played down the controversy. The Opposition didn't even think they warranted any questions.

The questions instead eventually came from the crossbench, led by the Greens.

Greens MP Adam Bandt asked the Prime Minister whether ministers had lobbied the Department of Home Affairs to ensure 'high rollers' could jet into Australia and gamble at Crown with as few checks as possible.

Scott Morrison told the House on Monday that 'in relation to the specific matters that were raised by the member, there has been nothing presented to me that would indicate there are any matters there for me to address'.

The sense that the gravity of these allegations might actually require a response only seemed to take hold on Tuesday when the crossbench pushed for a parliamentary inquiry.

Crossbenchers unite

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie moved for a joint select committee to investigate the allegations, but specifically, 'the relationship between Crown Casino and governments, including the role of former members of state and federal parliaments'.

Wilkie, Bandt, and fellow crossbenchers Rebekha Sharkie and Zali Steggall gave powerful speeches in the House about both the allegations and how they fitted into the broader political discourse.

Central to their case is the relentless and growing pressure for a national integrity commission.

How Crown flouted the rules and got away with it

Crown, Australia's biggest casino operator, has been linked to organised crime, money laundering and fast-tracked visas for big spenders. So where were the gambling regulators? asks Charles Livingstone.

The push for a national anti-corruption body was gaining considerable momentum last year with Labor behind it. But it was a crossbench holding the balance of power in the House of Representatives that pushed it to the status of an issue the Government had to actually address.

It did so reluctantly and weakly, eventually promising a national integrity commission model which most informed observers think would lack any real bite.

Scott Morrison announced the move in December, insisting the Government had been working on the plan since January last year — when Malcolm Turnbull was still prime minister.

He denied the Coalition had been forced into making the announcement after going into minority government after Mr Turnbull left the Parliament.

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Despite all that work, which you would think had put the Government into a position to move swiftly on the new body, nothing further has happened.

Revelations have exposed shortcomings

When 7.30 reported on the continuing pressure on the issue a couple of weeks ago, the Government was indicating it would probably be the end of the year before any legislation to establish it would emerge.

The Crown revelations this week have exposed for all to see the problems with the existing structures for investigating corruption at a national level.

As a response to the crossbench call for a parliamentary inquiry, Attorney-General Christian Porter came into the House of Representative on Tuesday to announce an inquiry by the Australia Law Enforcement Integrity Commission into the allegations.

He argued that the ALEIC inquiry would have greater powers to investigate than a parliamentary inquiry.

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His argument might have some justification, if it were not for the fact it constrains the investigation to the bureaucracy and not to politicians or, for that matter, to Crown.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission had indicated it is investigating the so-called junket operators operating in Australian casinos that are at the heart of much of the Crown allegations.

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And the Victorian regulator has been sent in to have another look too.

But there are obviously downsides in separate investigations by separate bodies. And that has always been one of the powerful arguments put about the need for a national anti-corruption body.

The fact that the Government looked like it had only called the inquiry to head off a parliamentary inquiry didn't help appearances either.

It didn't really have to worry, though, as Labor was more than happy to accept the Government's arguments that a parliamentary inquiry would be, altogether, a bad idea.

The dynamics have changed

The push for a parliamentary inquiry may have failed but the revelations have changed the dynamics of the Parliament nonetheless.

The crossbench in the Senate and the House now have a cause on moral grounds, and a pragmatic interest in using the issue of an anti-corruption body to both reinforce to voters the value of their presence in the Parliament to raises issues the major parties won't — classic 'keep the bastards honest' territory — and as a bargaining chip for the Government's legislative program.

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Get a wrap of the key stories and analysis from the ABC's chief politics writer Annabel Crabb.

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Given that ex-politicians from both sides of politics have ended up working for Crown, it has not been a good week for dismissing the appearances of massive conflicts of interest, at the least, between our political parties and investigating what now appears to be, at the least, systemic abuse, if not corruption, of our border security processes.

Ah yes, border security.

The spectre of a Government policy that officially sanctioned the streamlined processing of figures associated with organised crime, at the same time it hysterically suggested asylum seekers were murderers and rapists who had to be kept out of the country, has its obvious deficiencies.

Adam Bandt told the House this week:

'Never again will I take a lesson from this Government about the need to stop criminals from coming into this country and the need to have tough border protection policies.

'What we hear from the Government is: 'If you're fleeing war and persecution, we'll lock you up. But if you come here with a bag of cash, we'll open the gate for you so you can go and find the drugs and gamble at the casino.'

There is lots of talk about freedom of speech and freedom of religion abroad in politics just now. But freedom from corruption and hypocrisy would probably satisfy a lot more voters.

Laura Tingle is 7.30's chief political correspondent.

Topics:government-and-politics, federal-government, australia

First posted August 03, 2019 05:00:59