Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has delivered a sharp rebuke to billionaire James Packer after his extraordinary verbal attack on her predecessor Daniel Andrews, whom he described as "human filth".
The Political Snub Heard Across Australia
In a carefully worded response at a press conference on Monday, Premier Allan repeatedly declined to use James Packer's name when addressing his comments, instead referring to the casino magnate as "that individual". The deliberate naming avoidance mirrored tactics frequently employed by Andrews himself during his own time in office.
Allan stated firmly: "I disagree quite strongly with that individual's comments and his characterisation of the former premier." She emphasised her focus remained on building for Victoria's future rather than engaging in personal disputes.
Packer's Explosive Allegations
The controversy erupted when Packer, during the debut episode of the Rampart Talks podcast recorded on his $200 million superyacht moored off Fiji, launched a scathing critique of Andrews' leadership.
Packer claimed Andrews nearly derailed the $8.9 billion takeover of Crown Resorts by Blackstone in 2022 by imposing a casino tax rate increase just three weeks before the deal's completion. "With three weeks to go f***ing Daniel Andrews changes the tax rates on Crown and rips $50 million out of Crown and gives no compensation," Packer told interviewer Joe Aston.
The billionaire didn't mince words about his feelings toward the former premier, stating: "Daniel Andrews is about my least favourite person in the world. I think Daniel Andrews not only ruined Victoria, he almost ruined my life."
A Pattern of Political Avoidance
Allan's refusal to name Packer directly follows a well-established pattern from the Andrews era. During his premiership, Andrews frequently avoided naming critics in public responses.
In 2022, he referred to rebel Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela as "that person" when she claimed bullying within the party had pushed her to the edge of a nervous breakdown. That same year, he appeared to struggle recalling the name of high-profile fashionista Bec Judd when she criticised the government over home invasions near her $7.3 million Brighton mansion.
The current situation reflects ongoing tensions stemming from the Victorian Royal Commission in 2021, which found Crown casinos in Melbourne and Perth had engaged in illegal and exploitative conduct. Packer was the majority owner of Crown until its sale to Blackstone.
As of now, Daniel Andrews has yet to respond to Packer's damning comments, while Premier Allan has made her position clear through both her words and her deliberate choice of language in addressing the billionaire's outburst.
