The Mysterious Revival of Bill and Ben in WA

For those of you of a certain age, and I include myself in that group, we have very fond memories of growing up with Bill and Ben the Flowerpot men and their friend Weed. These puppets entertained us as we grew up.

It came as a great surprise to hear that the West Australian government has created its very own Bill and Ben show. Whilst the original saw the protagonists get into some harmless mischief, this latest version is much more ominous.

Ex Treasurer Ben Wyatt left his government position and post-politics, took up board roles at West Coast Eagles, Telethon Kids Institute, Woodside, Rio Tinto, and Perth Festival. Perhaps most interestingly on 27 May 2025 he took up the role as Non-Executive Chair Burswood Limited, trading as Crown Perth, the local subsidiary of Crown Resorts that holds the licence for its WA gaming operations.

Bill Johnston was a Labor Party member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from the 2008 state election until the 2025 state election after he stood down. On 1 August an announcement was made that he had been appointed president of the Burswood Park Board.

Just a month prior to Bill’s appointment, the government deemed Crown Resorts suitable to maintain its Perth casino licence without any conditions or penalties. Racing and Gaming Minister Paul Papalia said he was satisfied Crown Perth had taken sufficient steps to overhaul its operations after a 2022 royal commission uncovered evidence of money laundering and junkets with criminal links.

The decision came despite one-third of the commission’s 59 recommendations not yet being enacted. Several recommendations involve investment in assets, equipment, and staff training. Details of the outstanding recommendations remain shrouded in secrecy, with the WA government declining requests to divulge details of plans it deemed commercially sensitive.

What connects Bill and Ben here and who is pulling their strings? Interestingly for Premier Roger Cook’s brain fart of an idea to have the ‘Street Race’ circuit at Burswood Peninsula. A large portion of Crown Casino owned land on the northern tip of their site is required for the postage stamp sized racecourse. The land is returned to the government and the casino gets its licence. Win, win for Bill and Ben! Does that smell fishy? Who is pulling the strings?

Bill and Ben the gravy train men, benefiting from questionable decisions that impact our community.