Politics > Pokies and Politics in Pyrmont
Pokies and Politics in Pyrmont
A large element of the re-invention of Pyrmont was Sydney’s first legal casino, announced in 1985. Opposition was fierce, not only from the churches and social workers, but equally from the state’s 500 clubs, united in the Registered Clubs Association, who feared the loss of their poker machine revenues. On such a major venture, the cornerstone of Pyrmont’s redevelopment, the opinions of residents carried no weight.
The old power station was the only site large enough for one of the largest casinos in the world. When City West Development Corporation designed a master plan for this site, the City Council, architects and many local residents criticised the location and especially the scale. Reports were launched to prevent the casino becoming a honeypot for crime. Less attention was paid to local impacts, as few local residents were expected to patronise the casino, and even fewer to be employed in it. On one issue, planners yielded to residents’ protests: a helipad was abandoned. Coincidentally, while Kerry Packer expected to win the casino license, he supported the helipad. Once he lost the bid, his support was withdrawn.
There was one embarrassing moment. The Hooker-Harrah consortium won the contract with a $610 million bid in 1986. Following a police investigation of its US operations the government cancelled the bid. In 1987, a bid by a Malaysian casino operator suffered a similar fate. The authorities also declined an approach by Donald Trump, at that time a major investor in New Jersey casinos.
In 2018 The Star unveiled plans for a radical redevelopment, which would include a towering hotel and apartment complex. This would respond to James Packer’s Crown Casino, being built across the water on Barangaroo; but residents pointed out that The Star’s tower would be very much taller than anything else on the peninsula. The State government was divided on the question, but eventually decided against it. The Star’s expansion will now form part of the next round of Pyrmont’s redevelopment.
The opinions of residents were tested by researchers from the University of Western Sydney, who reported to the Casino Community Benefit Fund in 2000. Among many observations, they noted that the building turned its back on the Pyrmont community – but so did most other public buildings. They observed that improved policing meant that the immediate vicinity of the casino was safer than before; and there was no evidence of the surge of crime that had been predicted. While many older residents resented the casino and feared its social consequences, younger residents were largely unmoved.
Star City 1997
The Star 2020
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Source
University of Western Sydney, Macarthur Urban Studies Research Centre, Casino Community Benefit Fund, & Responsible Gambling Fund. (2000). The impact of the Sydney Casino on the social composition and residential amenity of the residents of Pyrmont-Ultimo: Final report : September 2000 / Michael Bounds ... [et al.]. Campbelltown, N.S.W: Urban Studies Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Macarthur.