Whyalla Steelworks

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): My question again is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on any contingencies that the government has in place for the Whyalla Steelworks should GFG enter voluntary administration?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:15): Contingencies—was that the word you used?

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: Yes.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: There is a balancing act that the government seeks to perform that hopefully the Leader of the Opposition appreciates. The Leader of the Opposition was on radio earlier this morning saying, in a way that I think is commendable, that he does not have an appetite to catastrophise the situation regarding GFG, and that is an approach that the government would commend. It's unfortunate that in the same breath the Leader of the Opposition was then trying to liken this to a State Bank disaster—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: I was complimenting the Leader of the Opposition. The government is seeking to get the balance right here in making sure that we are calmly and methodically working behind the scenes to prepare for anything that may eventuate. We hope, mainly, that those things don't eventuate but at the same time we are not seeking to unnecessarily alarm people who are engaged at the steelworks.

In that context, it would not be appropriate for us to fully illuminate the types of things that the government is working on. Much of it has already been traversed in the media, including what was frankly a good get from The 'Tiser in terms of the procurement that we have in the market at the moment on some advice that we are seeking to make sure we have at hand. But what I think that does is demonstrate just how seriously we are treating the situation and that the government is actively considering a range of possibilities and a range of ways we would respond to those events, should they present themselves.