Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas hits back at Crown Perth boss David Tsai’s claim ‘there’s not a lot to do’

Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas has hit back at claims from the boss of Crown Perth that the city lacks vibrancy and things to do, claiming Crown itself is failing to live up to its promises. New Crown Perth chief executive David Tsai — who moved to Perth in 2022 — said while the city was sunny and safe, it “lacks a little bit” and that with restrictive trading hours “there’s not a lot to do” compared to cities like Sydney and Melbourne. While he didn’t use the word himself, Mr Tsai’s comments brought back memories of the ‘Dullsville’ tag that first emerged from a travel website review in 2000. Local and State governments have been seeking to shake the reputation in the decades since. Mr Zempilas said he was “loathe” to use the “D-word” because it was not “right and reflective of modern Perth”. “He spoke about ‘not enough signature events’. And one of the signature events in our city for many years has been the Crown fireworks on New Year’s Eve. And that’s a space that Crown decided to disappear from this year,” he said. Mr Zempilas, a Seven West employee, said the City had stepped up and hosted a record crowd at Elizabeth Quay for the fireworks instead. “Ever since Crown Towers has opened, they have been talking about the new smorgasbord of restaurants that are going to come and open in their new complex, but we haven’t seen them yet,” he said. “We’ve seen some of them. But they were the existing offering. Where are those new restaurants? So I think I understand from a commercial lens that he might be looking at it from his business. “I would also just say to the boss of Crown, they are in a very privileged position... with the only license to operate a casino in Western Australia. “With that privileged position comes a duty to be a part of the collective effort to enhance Perth and not diminish our reputation.” The Lord Mayor said that a record spend of $400M in the Perth CBD in December proved that Perth was a “thriving modern city”. A point of agreement between Mr Zempilas and Mr Tsai was the need to deregulate trading hours, with the Lord Mayor saying the City had advocated for businesses to decide when and how long they operate. “Our view is that certainly in the city core, the shops could stay open longer. We’re not saying necessarily open forever, but certainly a couple of hours longer on weekends and probably a few hours earlier on Sunday,” he said. Mr Zempilas called on Premier Roger Cook to launch a three-month trial of extended hours in the Perth CBD. Senior Government Minister Tony Buti also rejected Mr Tsai’s characterisation of the city and cited “very important events” like Coldplay’s concerts and the upcoming WWE Elimination Chamber coming to Perth. “I’m more than happy to work with the Crown organisation to ensure that we have even more exciting events and things to do in Western Australia,” Mr Buti said. But the minister dismissed the idea of extending trading hours, saying “As a person who doesn’t like shopping, increased trading hours does not excite me”. Tourism Council WA boss Evan Hall back in Mr Tsai and blamed obstacles thrown up by State Government agencies for choking ideas for new ventures in red tape. “Too many proposals for attractions and experiences that the tourism industry would love to deliver have been knocked back by bureaucrats and we need to take a different approach,” Mr Hall said. “Perth would permanently lose the ‘Dullsville’ label if the State Government was proactive in enabling the tourism industry to create new experiences and attractions for locals and visitors alike.” Mr Hall nominated the long-floated cable car operating between Kings Park and the CBD and ziplines across the Swan River as promising concepts that have withered because they have encountered resistance rather than support. While the Cook Government has delivered a steady supply of major events - such as Coldplay in November and WWE in February - Mr Hall said permanent attractions were vital to provide a compelling reason to visit Perth year round - and for visitors to extend their stays. The stakes were high, with Tourism Council estimating a one-day boost to the average length of stay of international and interstate visitors would translate to a $330 million boost to the sector and create around 2600 jobs. Mr Hall added new Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti had brought a fresh set of eyes to the issue and there were promising signs of change in the approach from Government. “What we have had in the past is a series of roadblocks within government agencies stopping things from happening despite the Government itself actually wanting them,” he said.