Packer shuffles staff at Crown James Packer's Crown has replaced the head of its Melbourne casino. Picture: John Grainger Source: DailyTelegraph JAMES PACKER'S Crown has ousted the head of its Melbourne casino and handed control of its national operations to Perth chief Barry Felstead. The shake-up will see Mr Felstead take on the new role of chief executive for Australian resorts, overseeing Crown's Perth and Melbourne operations. The role also involves growing the VIP operations for both casinos. The move sidelines Melbourne chief Greg Hawkins who has been in the role for two years. Mr Felstead will divide his time between Perth and Melbourne and report to Crown chief executive Rowen Craigie. Mr Craigie said the restructure would optimise the existing Australian operations. " (We are also) positioned to capitalise on opportunities to expand its resort portfolio in Australia," Mr Craigie said. I look forward to working closely with (Barry) in managing all our Australian resorts, in particular, in leveraging the significant capital expenditure which is being made on these properties. Crown is focused on expanding its Australian operations after early last month all but winning approval to open a casino in Sydney. Mr Packer wants to build a $1.4 billion casino and resort at Barangaroo - Sydney's answer to Docklands. The battle for Sydney is a crucial one for Australia's gaming industry as it is seen as the natural drawcard for highrolling Asian gamblers. But Mr Packer has also flagged a move into the Queensland market, accusing the Echo Entertainment Group of doing a terrible job. "The quality of the properties in Surfers Paradise and Brisbane are a disgrace," Mr Packer said last month. In February, Crown Australia announced revenue from VIPs had grown 12.3 per cent to $417 million in the six months to December. Melbourne led the way with 15.2 per cent growth while Perth grew 2.8 per cent. Crown shares were down 0.5 per cent to $13.26.