Arrium

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): What is the government doing to support the estimated 580 workers who lost their jobs in the last round of job cuts announced by Arrium earlier this year?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:33): We've asked the commonwealth government to also help—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The people of Arrium also do reside in the federal electorate of Grey, which has a commonwealth—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, I'm trying to. The moment I said I asked the commonwealth government for any assistance members opposite scoffed. Can I also just add—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned for the second and final time and so is the member for Heysen.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —that the people in this community reside within a Liberal electorate and are entitled to go to their member of parliament for assistance. I can't believe that members opposite would scoff at the mere suggestion that we go to the commonwealth to seek assistance. Mr Speaker, you have to say the opposition are so desperate to score a political point at the suffering of others.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: I will listen to what the Treasurer says.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The Premier has visited the people of Whyalla and met with Arrium. I've met with Arrium now, I think, three or four times since that announcement about trying to assist workers and contractors who have lost their employment. We are working to try to help Arrium get through this low commodity price, but remembering that iron ore companies across the country are going through very similar problems. The idea that somehow the state government can prop up iron ore prices to keep people employed in mines is quite laughable, and any politician who turns up and tells you they can keep a mine open longer or that they can employ more people at a mine longer quite frankly is not being honest with you.

We are doing all we can to try to help those employees, but most importantly the best thing we can do in this upcoming budget for the people of Whyalla is offer them the ability to go out, and give those businesses the opportunity to go out, and employ more people, to encourage those small businesses to go out and hire more people, to help them go out and create more jobs with more investment. So, we are deeply involved with Arrium, especially the steelworks and the mine, to help them make that mine as productive as possible and, when commodity prices return, they can return to the levels of employment that they had previously.

Mr Marshall: Wow! What an answer!

The SPEAKER: The leader is warned the second and final time.