Australian prime ministers have been bullied by men with the Packer surname for decades. It’s been a distinctive part of the distasteful side of Australian politics throughout recent history.

Today, another PM has been verballed by another Packer. According to James — grandson of the ruthless Frank and son of the intimidating Kerry — our current prime minister is anti-business. “I think the problem for the Prime Minister at the moment is that while she keeps saying she’s pro-business,” he told today’s Australian Financial Review, “there is a real perception in the corporate world that she’s not.”

Let’s de-code those words. By “corporate world”, James Packer really means “gambling industry”. And by “anti-business” he really means “anti-gambling”.

The Packer who controls a $7.5 billion global gambling empire, and who stands to lose an estimated $300 million if the government’s proposed poker machine reforms are introduced, is doing what his dad and grandad taught him at their knees — kick PMs as hard as you can in the interests of Packer self-interest.

But in this case, Packer self-interest is unambiguously against Australia’s self-interest. You can bet on that.