Premier Mark McGowan has continued to defend Neville Owen, despite revelations about multiple links between the royal commissioner, Kerry Stokes and the Crown casino inquiry.
Premier Mark McGowan has continued to defend Neville Owen, despite revelations about multiple links between the royal commissioner, Kerry Stokes, and the Crown casino inquiry.
The premier was asked today about Mr Owen being a director of three companies in Mr Stokes’ business empire.
“If he sits on the board of some companies, I don’t understand what the conflict is,” the premier told journalists.
“I don’t get it,” he added.
“There seems to be a bit of character assassination going on about Neville Owen at the moment.”
The premier was asked specifically today about two people in the Stokes’ empire who are closely tied to the Perth Casino Royal Commission, which is led by Mr Owen.
First, Maryna Fewster is the WA chief executive of Mr Stokes’ company Seven West Media.
She is also a director of Crown Resorts subsidiary Burswood Ltd, aka Crown Perth, and appeared as a witness before Mr Owen last week.
Second, John Alexander is a long-serving director at Seven West Media.
He is also a former chair of Burswood and an executive director at Crown Resorts, and logically will be called as a witness.
The premier did not see any issues with those relationships.
“A conflict of interest has to be a bit closer than that,” Mr McGowan said.
As the premier has done repeatedly since this issue arose last week, he characterised the relationship between Messrs Owen and Stokes as social.
“Obviously [Mr Owen] is going to know people across the community,” he said.
“It’s not unusual for someone to know and be involved with someone who is a friend of someone's.”
When pressed on the difference between social connections and business relationships, the premier said he had already answered the question.
The premier has previously said the issue seemed like an internecine media war; presumably a reference to the campaign Seven West’s daily Perth newspaper has run against former Crown Perth chair John Poynton.
The premier described Mr Owen as one of the most respected judges in Australia and said it was appropriate for him to chair the royal commission.
Mr Stokes became part of the story last Monday, when Mr Owen proactively announced he had a “close personal association” with the Seven West Media chairman.
“None of this raises in my mind a conflict of interest, but in the interests of transparency I make these statements,” Mr Owen told the royal commission.
However, at that time, he failed to disclose that he is a director of a key company in Mr Stokes’ business empire.
That admission only came after journalists asked about his role at Clabon Pty Ltd: the parent company and 100 per cent shareholder in Australian Capital Equity, which is the central company in Mr Stokes’ extensive business empire.
That empire includes controlling stakes in Seven Group Holdings and Seven West Media.
Clabon has four very powerful directors: David Gonski, Richard Court, Warwick Smith and Mr Owen.
The same four men are directors of two other companies linked to Mr Stokes: Mercury Corporate and Redlake Enterprises.
If the calibre and experience of the four directors is any guide, these low-profile companies must play an important role in Mr Stokes' business affairs.
Business News has submitted written questions to the premier’s office about the adequacy of Mr Owen’s disclosures, but not received a response.
It has also asked about the personal and commercial links between Mr Stokes and James Packer, who was a former chair at Crown Perth, was the dominant figure at Crown Resorts for many years, and is another likely witness before Mr Owen.
In 2018, Kerry Stokes stated that he helped Mr Packer when the tycoon was dealing with major personal issues.
The two men currently invest together through a company called 2B Investments (Australia) Holdings Pty Ltd.
As well as Ms Fewster, Mr Alexander and Mr Packer, a fourth link between Mr Stokes and the casino inquiry comes in the form of Tim Roberts.
He is a former director of Crown Perth and appeared last week as a witness before Mr Owen.
In addition, he is a trustee of the Channel 7 Telethon Trust, which oversees Mr Stokes’ favourite charity.
Business News asked Mr Owen to expand on last week’s disclosures and received a brief reply.
“I have publicly declared my association with the chairman of Seven West Media – who is not the subject of this inquiry. I have nothing further to add.”
