Image: MP Alex Greenwich (pictured) used parliamentary powers to obtain papers from Liquor and Gaming NSW. Image: Alex Greenwich/Facebook.
By ROBBIE MASON
Internal documents released to NSW Parliament on Friday have revealed deep flaws in the regulation of the state’s gambling industry.
According to the 125 papers released to Parliament, the peak representative body for clubs in NSW forewarned members of impending gambling compliance checks and advised venues to position gaming machines and ATMs correctly, while staff at Liquor and Gaming NSW raised concerns internally that the agency was partnering with a club with suspected money laundering links on an anti-gambling initiative.
The documents also exposed a warning, provided to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority by Liquor and Gaming NSW, that reduced resources would limits the agency’s capacity to investigate money laundering – three months before the investigative unit at Liquor and Gaming was scaled back.
This information entered the public domain as a result of a successful subpoena by MP Alex Greenwich, who received intel that Liquor and Gaming NSW had failed to submit certain documents to the NSW Crimes Commission for an investigation into money laundering named Project Islington.
The Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, said that the findings have lessened his faith in gambling regulator Liquor and Gaming NSW.
He has also publicly criticised the late delivery of documents to NSW Parliament by Liquor and Gaming NSW. The documents arrived five hours late.
“The attempt to remove vital documents from the call to papers and their breach of the required time to return them, is in my opinion an act of contempt for this parliament and I will act on this when the house returns”, Greenwich stated.
MLC Cate Faehrmann expressed surprise over the number of papers released and the extent of the information not provided to the NSW Crimes Commission.
Faehrmann said, “I think the average NSW resident thinks that they can trust state government agencies to operate effectively but this is proof that this isn’t the case. We’re not talking about an email or two that was missed. We’re talking hundreds of pages of documents which should have been given to the Crime Commission because they outline the extent to which pokies were used to launder money at specific clubs.”
She also condemned the late delivery of documents.
“While there were some changes to the scope of the order for papers, they weren’t so extensive as to justify the delay in producing the documents…. It also pushed it out to Friday afternoon which is the least likely time for the media to pick it up.”
“You also have to remember that what we’re talking about here is documents that should have already been produced. So a failure of process has already occurred. Every hour of delay beyond that is just amplifying the impact of that failure.”
A weekend statement from the office of MP David Harris, the Minister for Gaming and Racing, emphasised that the Minns administration supports Alex Greenwich’s call for papers.
“The Minns Labor Government is committed to gambling reform to reduce harm and tackle money laundering,” that statement read.
“The papers highlight the importance of Project Islington in shining a spotlight on money laundering and enacting important and necessary change.”
Liquor and Gaming NSW conducts both overt and covert gambling compliance checks. In June this year, Liquor and Gaming issued a public warning that NSW venues were failing to comply with industry regulations after busting a string of Sydney pubs and bars for gaming-related offences.
