Worksafe cleared Star over a worker’s death but it is re-examining the case
Queensland’s health and safety regulator has reopened inquiries after receiving a fresh complaint about The Star Brisbane, which ignored internal warnings to fix a flaw on the casino’s rooftop deck from which a worker later fell to her death.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland initially said it had determined no compliance action was required after making inquiries into the incident. But it confirmed on Wednesday it had received a new complaint and that it would make further inquiries.
Internal documents obtained by this masthead and The Australian Financial Review this week revealed the owners of the Brisbane casino were warned by a senior staff member in May 2025 about vulnerabilities in the balustrade of its 250-metre-long Sky Deck.
The senior Star manager followed up two months later, writing that “the major” concern was the “the handrail along with the gap between the glass panels”.
In June, more than a year after the initial warning, a 24-year-old chef from the Philippines who was working in Star Brisbane’s room service division used the handrail to take her own life.
A WHSQ spokeswoman on Wednesday said the regulator had made inquiries at the time into the June 7 incident.
WHSQ recommended Star conduct an internal investigation, ensuring it had stronger measures in place to prevent another incident. “WHSQ completed its inquiries and determined that no compliance action was required,” the spokeswoman said.
The regulator did not answer questions about the process and why it had determined no action was required.
In a separate statement issued later on Wednesday, the regulator said it had received a new complaint regarding a safety concern at Star Brisbane and that it would be making “further inquiries”.
After the employee’s death on June 7, Destination Brisbane Consortium, which controls the Queen’s Wharf complex, hired security before setting up a temporary barrier. A permanent fix has not been implemented. Star declined to comment further on the matter. WHSQ’s inquiries and a coronial investigation are ongoing.
Queensland opposition spokeswoman on industrial relations Grace Grace said the Crisafulli government should seek assurances from the casino operator that the rooftop deck is safe.
“Minister for Industrial Relations Jarrod Bleijie should be demanding answers from The Star on why these safety warnings were ignored and ensure the matter is fully investigated by health and safety inspectors,” she said.
“The Star is a huge employer in Queensland, employing about 5000 people, and Jarrod Bleijie must take action for this serious health and safety issue.”
Bleijie did not respond to questions about what actions he was taking, pointing to the WHSQ investigation.
“The appropriate authorities are investigating and for the Labor opposition to politicise a tragedy like this is deeply insensitive and an insult to this poor person’s loved ones,” he said.
The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation has said it is not making inquiries into the incident as it reviews only matters where gambling harm has been identified.
“Where no gambling harm is identified, the incident is investigated by other relevant authorities,” a spokesman for the regulator said. “As this matter is the subject of a coronial investigation, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment.”
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Integrity Deb Frecklington, who oversees the gambling regulator, said, through a spokeswoman, that the OLGR reviews incidents for any gambling-related harm.
“This is a tragic incident, and my thoughts are with the employee’s family,” the spokeswoman said.
In recent weeks, Frecklington’s chief of staff, Ben Murphy, has taken a job with Star Entertainment as general manager of strategy and community for the Queensland operations.
The move raises integrity questions for the government and the casino, given Frecklington is due to make a call by the end of September on whether to suspend The Star Gold Coast’s casino licence, after the suspension was deferred late last year.
Star’s licences to operate the Gold Coast and Brisbane casinos are not suspended but they are under independent administrator Nick Weeks′ oversight.
Asked how the government would manage any conflicts of interest, Frecklington’s spokeswoman said: “Appropriate measures have been put in place.”
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Zoe Samios is a reporter at The Australian Financial Review and a former reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.