Australian billionaire and media mogul James Packer has delivered a scathing critique of former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, labeling him as “human filth” in a revealing interview.
During a conversation with Rampart host Joe Aston aboard his $200 million superyacht, Packer accused Andrews of nearly derailing his life by unexpectedly hiking casino tax rates shortly before the $8.9 billion acquisition of Crown Resorts by Blackstone in 2022.
“Daniel Andrews is probably my least favorite person on the planet. I believe he not only damaged Victoria but almost destroyed my life as well,” Packer remarked.
He continued, “With just three weeks remaining before the sale to Blackstone, Andrews abruptly changed Crown’s tax rates, extracting $50 million from Crown without offering any compensation.”
Packer expressed disbelief that Blackstone didn’t invoke the material adverse change clause due to these sudden tax alterations.
Until the sale to Blackstone, Packer was the principal owner of Crown, which operates casinos in Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth.
Andrews also presided over the Victorian Royal Commission in 2021, which found the Crown casinos in Melbourne and Perth had engaged in illegal and exploitative conduct.
Mr Packer described Andrews’ actions as ‘appalling’ and looked forward to confronting him ‘far more aggressively’ in person.
Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured with wife Catherine) was described by billionaire James Packer as ‘my least favourite person in the world’
‘What he’s done to the balance sheet of Victoria is impossible to fix … I couldn’t speak more lowly of Daniel Andrews. I think he’s human filth … I hope he sues me,’ Packer said.
In September, Andrews drew widespread criticism, including from senior Labor figures within his own party when he posed for a class photo alongside Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in China.
While Mr Packer gave Andrews a damning assessment, he was much more glowing of US President Donald Trump,
He recalled how the pair initially crossed paths at a dinner during the President’s first term, adding that Trump, ‘couldn’t have been nicer’.
‘I rented a house in Palm Beach, and it actually happened to be a house that’s owned by Donald and Eric Trump, and it shares a fence with Mar-a-Lago,’ Packer recounted.
‘The President was nice enough he invited me for dinner.’
Years before Andrews’ photo-op with global leaders drew fire, Packer had already slipped from the spotlight.
Following the inquiries into the operations of Crown casinos in Melbourne and Perth, Packer retreated to his super yacht, named IJE after the initials of his children – Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle.
Billionaire businessman James packer (pictured) opened up about his life during a tell-all interview with Joe Aston on the Rampart podcast
Packer claimed that Daniel Andrews almost ruined his life by imposing a last minute increase in casino tax rates during the $8.9billion takeover of Crown Resorts by Blackstone
James Packer conducted a wide-ranging interview with Rampart host Joe Aston on his $200million superyacht (pictured) named after his three children
He now splits his time between his $175m mega‑mansion in Bel‑Air, California, and his superyacht
Now a non-resident for tax purposes, Packer plans to return to Sydney this Christmas to visit his mother Roslyn, now 87, and sister Gretel, despite what he calls a ‘bittersweet’ relationship with the Australian Tax Office.
‘I’ve probably spent six weeks in Australia in the last 10 years,’ he said.
‘I’m told that if I spend any more than a couple of weeks in Australia…they’re (ATO) is going to be difficult now.
‘My mum’s not getting younger. I’m her only son, I want to come back and see her and my sisters in Australia.’
The wide-ranging interview also touched on Packer’s battle with substance abuse, revealing he has been sober for two years.
He spoke about a 2016 incident when outgoing Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes found him in Aspen in a ‘very bad way’.
Stokes temporarily took control of Consolidated Press Holdings to prevent a financial collapse and stopped Packer’s wedding to US pop star Mariah Carey.
‘I was under a lot of pressure in business, so I had a lot of debt, I had a lot of obligations, I was under a lot of pressure, and I was drinking way too much,’ Packer recalled.
‘I was in a bad place.’
James Packer remains very close to ex-wife and the mother to his children Erica Baxter (pictured together in 2008)
Mariah Carey (pictured left) and her then-fiance James Packer (pictured right) attending the 2016 G’Day Los Angeles Gala
At the time, Stokes said a very senior Israeli figure helped arrange medical care for Packer.
While widely interpreted as referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Packer stopped short of confirming that, though he acknowledged Netanyahu’s divisive reputation.
‘All I’ll say is…the Prime Minister of Israel was a dear friend to me when I needed help,’ he said.
‘I will never forget that.
‘I think he’s probably the most impressive man I’ve ever met.’
