Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hanson-Young for her question. The first point I would make is a point that I made earlier in the week, and that is that the Australian government takes allegations of illegal activity very seriously. Everyone, of course, is required to abide by the Australian law, which includes casino operators, public officials and visitors to our country. You would also be aware that our law enforcement agencies are working hard to disrupt and deter criminal groups by collecting evidence and intelligence about financially motivated crime. It is not something that is done by government at the political level. It is something that is done, appropriately, independently by our law enforcement agencies, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to provide specific details, given the potential to compromise ongoing investigations.

I would also remind the senator that on 30 July 2019 the Attorney-General referred allegations of corruption involving the Department of Home Affairs and Crown Casino to ACLEI, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity. The referral relates to media reports involving various allegations of corruption with respect to interactions between employees of Crown Casino and others. All these allegations have now been referred to ACLEI. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further.