The Packer Family

The Packer family is well-known for its business interests in media and gambling, as well as the political influence it has achieved through these empires. The family’s vast wealth and high profile in Australian society have made the Packers subjects of public interest. During the 1930s, Sir Frank Packer built his media empire with Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network, which his son, Kerry Packer, later expanded.

The Packers have had bipartisan reach in politics for many decades due to their powerful position in Australian media. An article published in the Australian Journal of Political Science looked at Sir Frank Packer’s role in both Sir William McMahon’s ascension to Prime Ministership as well as the destabilisation of Sir John Gorton as Prime Minister between 1967-1971. In the following period, Kerry Packer’s Channel Nine often took strong editorial positions on national issues and political figures sought favourable coverage from the network, giving Kerry considerable leverage over government. Kerry’s close relationship with former Prime Minister Bob Hawke is evidenced by the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery as part of the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre at the University of South Australia. Kerry’s son, James Packer, has also had close ties with politicians, such as former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

In addition to using their media power to shape public opinion, the Packers are known to have created and fostered a “toxic” culture in the Nine workplace. Reports of “systemic” sexual harassment, bullying and “power games” resulted in a recent independent investigation, which found that authority figures within the network had covered up abuses of power.

In 2012, James Packer sold the family’s media assets (his share in News Corp., Consolidated Media Holdings and Nine Entertainment), but continued to influence Australian society through his ownership of Crown Resorts. Crown Resorts has been embroiled in years of scandals involving money laundering, associations with organised crime, aggressive lobbying, and regulatory avoidance. In an inquiry by the Independent Gaming and Liquor Authority (IGLA) into Crown Resorts, chairwoman and director Helen Coonan made “frank admissions” that “the company facilitated money-laundering because its policies were so lax”. James Packer was questioned in the same inquiry, admitting that he had known about “junket operators” that brought wealthy gamblers (particularly from China) to Crown’s casinos, and that Crown never investigated them because they were “good for business”. James stepped down as Director of Crown Resorts in 2018, but continued to benefit from inside information through Crown in the years after his resignation. Questions were raised about information such as “financial forecasts and other modelling” which Packer may have shared with the Hong Kong casino company Melco before it bought Packer’s shares in Crown. The Packers are powerful donors to the arts. They have supported organisations such as the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Roslyn Packer (the widow of Kerry Packer) is a particularly active donor, and is currently President of the Maestro’s Circle for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. The Sydney Theatre in Walsh Bay was renamed the Roslyn Packer Theatre after she made a substantial donation to the venue, also not long after she had given $580,000 in political donations to the Liberal Party.