Brisbane’s $3.8 billion Queen’s Wharf precinct opens its doors today amid ongoing questions about the suitability of chief partner Star Entertainment Group as a casino licensee.

For Queensland Premier Steven Miles, the controversial project represents a “vision of the city”.

It will be home to a major new casino aimed at luring high rollers from across the world. 

Star Brisbane chief executive Daniel Finch declared today the company was progressing well in efforts to satisfy the state government’s standards on anti money-laundering and safe gambling practices.

The 12-hectare Queen’s Wharf hub will eventually include bars, restaurants, more than 1,000 hotel rooms in three hotels, apartments, a Sky Deck overlooking the riverfront and an event centre with a large ballroom.

It enhances public access to the riverfront and includes extensive walkways and a plaza beneath the footbridge across the river.

Many of the spaces remain a work in progress. One hotel, The Star Grand, opens today, with the Dorsett and Rosewood hotels due to open by the end of 2026.

Many other facilities are set to open in the weeks and months to come.

State Development Minister Grace Grace said the government was keen for the project to “do very well”.

“It’s an amazing facility but we want to ensure that it is done in the proper way and we’re confident that is the way it will occur going forward.”

Bridge access opens 

From today, access is open to the Neville Bonner Bridge from South Bank to Queen’s Wharf.

The bridge was built by Queen’s Wharf developer Destination Brisbane Consortium at no cost to the taxpayer and handed over to the state government last week.

From 5pm, the much-vaunted Sky Deck, offering expansive views of the river, CBD and South Brisbane, opens to the public, along with the first of three restaurants on the deck level.

On the Neville Bonner Bridge yesterday morning, Mr Miles declared Queen’s Wharf would be “an incredible experience”.

“We’ve been talking for some time about our vision of the city, with high-quality precincts linked together with active travel and public transport links,” he said.

“The heart of that vision starts to come together over the next few days.

“Queen’s Wharf will be the biggest new integrated resort development to open in the world for years to come.

“It hasn’t all been smooth sailing,” Mr Miles admitted.

‘Major failings’ 

In both Queensland and New South Wales, the future of Star Entertainment Group as a casino operator remains under a cloud.

The state government hit Star with $100 million in fines in 2022 following “major failings” at its Queensland casinos in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Then-Queensland attorney-general Shannon Fentiman appointed Nick Weeks as special manager to oversee Star after the company was deemed unsuitable to hold a casino licence.

Mr Weeks was also installed as Star’s Sydney casino licence manager by the NSW Independent Casino Commission.

In an independent review of the company, former judge Robert Gotterson concluded Star had serious deficiencies with its anti-money-laundering program for years, actively encouraged banned high rollers from other states to gamble in Queensland, and was not forthcoming or transparent with its banker nor the regulator.

A show-cause notice on Star’s casino licence was initially deferred until December 2023, then deferred again to December this year to allow the company to develop an internal remediation plan.

At this morning’s Queen’s Wharf media launch, Mr Finch said the new casino opened at 2pm and that they had gone “a long way” to completing their remediation plan.

“We have a heightened focus on all of our anti money-laundering policies, procedures, our internal control manuals and measures, also our counter-terrorism financing,” he said.

“And also safer gambling and harm minimisation — we have an enormous team now, we have protocols in place and we are well and truly on our way to suitability.”

A ‘free pass’ from government

The Queensland government only granted Star’s new casino licence yesterday, although the company is still under the purview of Mr Weeks.

But Alliance for Gambling Reform chief advocate Reverend Tim Costello accused the government of “bending over” to appease the giant consortium despite serious ethical concerns.

“Every Queenslander should know that Star is getting a leave pass no other business in Queensland would get,” he said.

“A couple of years ago it was fined $100 million for money laundering and the worst predatory gambling practices and now a special concession by the government to operate, really?

A long queue of people gathered outside the new casino after the doors opened on Thursday afternoon.

Current Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath told the ABC yesterday: “The Miles government is committed to ensuring that casinos in Queensland are operating with the honesty and integrity expected by the community.”

“When it opens at Queen’s Wharf Brisbane, the Star Brisbane will be required to operate under the approved remediation plan and the supervision of Nicholas Weeks as an external advisor, which is in line with how The Star’s other Queensland casinos have been operating.”

What happens to the old casino and hotel?

The Treasury buildings are now up for sale.

Constructed in three stages from 1886 to 1928, they became the centre of state government administration until 1971.

The buildings were added to the heritage register in the early 1990s shortly before being repurposed as the Treasury Hotel and Treasury Casino in 1995.

The old casino closed last weekend, but the hotel remains open.

Star’s initial $248 million deal to sell the two buildings fell through in June 2023 when property investor Charter Hall pulled out.

“The Star has been advised that Charter Hall no longer intends to proceed with the proposed transaction,” the company confirmed in an ASX announcement on June 20 last year.

“The basis for this is that the conditions have not been satisfied by the relevant date under the terms of the contracts.

“Charter Hall declined to extend the dates for satisfaction of the conditions.

“The Star is considering its options in relation to this matter generally.”

Star has said previously that “repurposing” these buildings was part of its obligations to the state government under the Queen’s Wharf development plan.

A Star spokesperson yesterday told the ABC that both the old casino building and the Treasury Hotel remain subject to an “ongoing” sale process that was “progressing well”.

Star must notify the ASX when a sale has been finalised.