At the October 26^th election, One Nation was successful in getting rid of a rotten and corrupt Labor government. We didn’t win any seats but saw very healthy swings to our party across many areas, and in some seats more than doubled our vote compared to the last election.

A warning to the Liberals though: One Nation will hold you to account for any poor decisions. Let’s go straight to that accountability. According to a report in the Courier Mail, the new premier will consider plans to bail out Star Casino with ‘tax relief’.  

Troubled casino conglomerate Star Entertainment has come begging for taxpayer help, and Queensland’s new LNP government is willing to ‘consider’ the idea by putting the idea of help to ‘state cabinet’. If Queensland’s new LNP government dares give this casino one red cent, they can be assured they will never garner any support from Queenslanders at future elections. 

Star is a private business struggling under the weight of its own mismanagement. Star is battling not only operational inefficiencies but also fallout from the implementation of mandatory carded play and cash limits—a regulatory move intended to enforce accountability. To attempt a taxpayer bailout would not only be imprudent; it would be a betrayal of Queenslanders who deserve better than to foot the bill for corporate failure.

Star Entertainment’s quarterly report reveals an EBITDA loss of $18 million, and the company is barely hanging on with $149 million in cash reserves—a figure made possible only through emergency funding and asset sales. And yet, according to The Courier-Mail, Star is seeking to squeeze out more financial assistance from the Queensland government. Labor’s former Premier Steven Miles had toyed with the idea of a tax deferral, but even he found Star’s continued executive bonuses hard to swallow, asserting, “We want every single dollar of tax to be paid” (Courier-Mail, October 29, 2024).

The question remains: why should Queenslanders’ hard-earned money be put on the line to prop up Star’s finances, especially given that they have seen fit to reward their executives with bonuses amid a financial crisis? It’s high time that companies like Star Entertainment learn that taxpayer support isn’t their fallback for reckless management and unchecked ambition.

Our warning to the new Liberal government: Give Star a cent of tax relief, and you’ve just drawn battle lines across this state.