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No casino hours curb: Government says Queens Wharf vital to our international status

The Palaszczuk Government has rejected curbing casino hours in Queensland, despite it being a key recommendation of an independent review into its efforts to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence.

May 25, 2022, updated May 25, 2022
Star Entertainment shareholders have launched a class action against the gambling and leisure provider.

Star Entertainment shareholders have launched a class action against the gambling and leisure provider.

The recommendation was contained in the report from the final evaluation of the Government’s Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence policy, which showed a big drop in serious assaults on Friday and Saturday nights across the state.

While hailing the policy a success and committing $500,000 to encourage late night precinct boards, the Government’s rejection of any curb on casino trading hours was a notable feature of its response to the report.

Casinos in the state “already operate under a significant level of scrutiny” and had more security than other venues, the government’s response said.

“The government also considers removal of 24-hour trading hours would be inconsistent with the government’s plans for creating a ‘new world city’ for Brisbane, the intent of the development of Queen’s Wharf Brisbane,” the response, tabled on Wednesday said.

The government also stopped short of endorsing the review’s recommendation that there be an expert, publicly available evaluation of the impact of the Queens Wharf casino on alcohol-fuelled violence.

The Star Entertainment group, currently facing an inquiry over alleged money-laundering activities at its Sydney casino, is a key backer of the $3.6 billion Queen’s Wharf development.

It plans to relocated its Brisbane casino from its current location in the old Treasury building  to Queens Wharf, where its gambling facility will boast up to 2500 poker machines and potentially hundreds of gaming tables.

The government’s position on Queens Wharf was similar to its interim response in 2019, when it said it would look at ways to engage casinos in safe night precinct management and safety.

A recommendation to close all safe night precinct venues at 3.30am was also not supported.

“The government is not satisfied closing all late-trading venues…at 3.30am, following cessation of the service of alcohol at 3.00am, would strike an appropriate regulatory balance,” it said.

Key measures of the government’s policy include changing liquor trading hours from 5am to 3am in safe night precincts and mandatory ID scanners for a large number of venues.

“The report shows there’s been a 49 per cent drop in the number of serious assaults between 3am and 6am on Friday and Saturday nights across Queensland,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

“Significantly, there’s been a 52 per cent reduction in these assaults in one of the state’s most popular precincts – Fortitude Valley.”

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Ms Palaszczuk reflected on the one-punch death of teenager Cole Miller in 2016.

“It was the very definition of a coward’s punch, Cole fell to the ground, he never regained consciousness,” Palaszczuk said.

“More than 2000 people gathered in King George Square demanding something be done so no other family suffered such an awful loss…that something was our government’s strategy to tackle alcohol fuelled violence.”

Miller’s brother and sister were at parliament on Wednesday.

“It’s always very upsetting to relive these events…however it’s also very pleasing to see some positive results from the changes that have come through,” Cole’s older brother Billy said.

Among the accepted recommendations was working to ensure a list of banned patrons is available to venues operating after midnight.

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