Troy Stolz
Australian whistleblower and gambling reform advocate

Troy Graham Stolz is an Australian whistleblower and gambling reform advocate. He is currently serving as a councillor for the Upper Hunter Shire since the 2024 New South Wales local government elections.[1]

He was the head of ClubsNSW's anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism unit until 2019.[2] He leaked an internal report that stated that 95% of registered clubs in New South Wales were non-compliant with anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism laws.[2]

ClubsNSW lawsuit

Stolz was sued by ClubsNSW, with the former employer arguing that he owed a duty of confidence, and that Stolz had used confidential documents in his consulting work after leaving ClubsNSW.[3] The charges were settled shortly after ClubsNSW's CEO was fired.[4][5]

The decision to sue Stolz was widely criticised in the press,[6] with casino mogul James Packer calling the lawsuit "ruthless [and] unethical".[7]

As part of the lawsuit, ClubsNSW obtained injunctive relief restraining Stolz from speaking about the conduct of ClubsNSW in a way that could "bring improper pressure on the respondent".[8] After an interview with YouTuber Jordan Shanks, both Stolz and Shanks were the target of criminal contempt of court proceedings for violating the restraining order, with ClubsNSW acting as a private prosecutor.[3] These charges were dropped in February 2023.[9]

Political career

Stolz ran as an independent candidate in Kogarah against at the 2023 New South Wales state election, campaigning on a platform of cashless gaming reform.[10][11] His candidacy directly opposed Labor leader, Chris Minns, running for the same seat. Stolz called on the Labor leader to join in on the Liberal Party's plan to transition New South Wales to cashless pokies by 2028.[12] Minns expressed reticence due to potential risks of exacerbating money loss during gambling.[13] Stolz placed fourth, garnering 2,186 votes, or 4.3% of the votes.[14]

In the 2024 New South Wales local government elections, Stolz ran as a councillor for the Upper Hunter Shire. He was elected in fourth place, garnering a total of 893 votes, or 10.9%.[1]

In January 2026, Stolz joined One Nation [15], but subsequently left the party after only four days.[16]

Other advocacy

In November 2023, Stolz joined other whistleblowers in an open letter condemning the prosecution of Australian Army whistleblower David McBride.[17]

Personal life

Stolz is battling stage four bone cancer as of 7 February 2023[update].[5][18]

References

  1. ^ a b Flaherty, Elizabeth (1 October 2024). "Editorial: Out with the Old, In with the New". scone.com.au. Archived from the original on 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b Alexander, Harriet (21 September 2022). "'I've nothing to lose': Dying whistleblower sued by ClubsNSW". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Knaus, Christopher (2 September 2022). "Friendlyjordies' Jordan Shanks and ClubsNSW whistleblower face criminal contempt proceedings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  4. ^ "ClubsNSW drops lawsuits against gaming whistleblower". PerthNow. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b McGowan, Michael (7 February 2023). "ClubsNSW settles case with terminally ill whistleblower Troy Stolz". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  6. ^ Alexander, Harriet (10 February 2023). "After a row with his wife and a night in the caravan, Troy Stolz made a tough decision". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  7. ^ Alexander, Harriet (30 September 2022). "James Packer hits out at ClubsNSW's 'ruthless unethical behaviour'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  8. ^ Knaus, Christopher (17 November 2021). "ClubsNSW wins federal court order restraining whistleblower from 'intimidating' statements". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  9. ^ Knaus, Christopher (16 February 2023). "ClubsNSW drops contempt charges against Friendlyjordies over pokies whistleblower". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  10. ^ Gambling whistleblower Troy Stolz challenging Chris Minns at state election, 12 January 2023, retrieved 8 November 2023
  11. ^ Gibbs, Erik (12 January 2023). "Australia's Gambling Failings Whistleblower Running for Political Seat in NSW". Casino.org. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Ex candidate's surprise admission on Minns". The Albany Advertiser. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  13. ^ Wang, Jessica (9 March 2023). "NSW State Election 2023: Chris Minns, Troy Stolz face off in Kogarah candidate forum". News.com.au.
  14. ^ "NSW STATE ELECTION RESULTS 2023". pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Upper Hunter councillor Troy Stolz joins One Nation". Local Elections Australia. 6 News Australia. 2 January 2026. Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Upper Hunter councillor quits One Nation after four days". Local Elections Australia. 6 News Australia. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  17. ^ Crosswell, Sally (7 November 2023). "Whistleblowers rally before McBride trial". Proctor. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  18. ^ Foote, Callum (9 December 2022). "Feds to step into Troy Stolz case after ClubsNSW hammers pokies whistleblower for four days". Michael West. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
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