Dallas Reginald Dempster (27 August 1941 – 21 September 2021) was an Australian businessman notable for the original development of Perth's Burswood Resort and Casino (now Crown Perth) and the proposed Kwinana Petrochemical Plant, both of which were among the Western Australian government transactions examined by the 1990–92 WA Inc Royal Commission.
In November 2013 The West Australian newspaper named Dempster as one of Western Australia's 100 most influential business leaders (1829–2013).
[4] The original resort complex included a five-star hotel, casino, recreation facilities with 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, and swimming pools on a site fronting Perth's Swan River, 3 km from the city centre.
[9] In September 1986 Petrochemical Industries Company Limited (PICL), a joint venture involving companies controlled by Dempster and Laurie Connell,[10]: p 9 proposed the development of a major petrochemical project at Kwinana, south of Fremantle, and on 2 November 1987 heads of agreement were signed by the government-owned State Energy Commission of Western Australia and PICL for the former to supply the latter with natural gas from the state's North West Shelf at a commercially realistic price linked to the CPI.
By December 1987, though, it was becoming apparent that Connell's merchant bank Rothwells was no longer a viable financial institution, and Dempster had been unable to secure 100% debt finance for the project.