In March 2022, the Perth Casino Royal Commission found Crown Resorts unfit to hold a license in Western Australia (WA) and provided 59 recommendations aimed at reforming the casino’s operations and fixing the state’s “flawed” gambling laws.
No Need for Nominations Committee
The WA government has now issued its official response to the Royal Commission inquiry, giving its full support to most of the recommendations, but they do not include setting up a nominations committee that would advise the government regarding appointments to the Gaming and Wagering Commission (GWC).
The Royal Commission came up with the nominations committee recommendation after it found that board members had been appointed without proper consultation with the GWC.
The Commission identified a series of failures by the GWC in its oversight of Crown Perth which allowed the property to become an avenue for money laundering.
GWC Appointment Duties Will Remain with Gaming Minister
The government’s official response to the Royal Commission was recently presented to the Parliament by Gaming Minister Reece Whitby who said the responsibility of appointing people to the GWC board will remain with the sitting gaming minister.
Whitby insists a nominations committee is not needed as the government currently implements a “good system” when it comes to choosing qualified individuals for the GWC board.
