GFG Alliance

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:44): My question is again to the Premier. What does the Premier say to Chrys Press, owner of Maaric Industrial Services? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PATTERSON: Mr Press stated that:

We've lost 70 per cent of our industrial work due to job losses and business closures. The impact on Whyalla has been enormous and it's far from over.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:44): What I would say to Mr Press is the same thing I have been saying to other creditors that I have gone out of my way to deliberately meet as many of as possible on the ground in Whyalla, and that is that this government is working overtime to address what is one of the more complex public policy challenges that the state has seen in decades. The shadow minister will be well aware that the South Australian government does not own GFG. We do not own the steelworks. These are not our debts: they are the debts of Mr Gupta and his businesses. They are his liabilities. He has incurred them consciously, deliberately, and therefore he should pay his creditors forthwith.

Any actions that are available to the government, of course, are somewhat limited by virtue of the fact that this is an asset that we do not own. What I would say to Mr Press, along with those other creditors, is that we are working almost literally around the clock to ensure that we have in place comprehensive and well thought-through plans. It is not in the government's liberty to make public commentary with rhetoric that does not fix the situation. It is not the liberty of the government to make a swift, rash decision that in many respects could exacerbate the problem rather than—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition, please listen to the Premier. This is a really important subject.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Can you stop answering me back? Next peep out of you, you will be having a rest from this place.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We are making sure that creditors on the ground are only positively impacted as a result of any decisions that the government makes in the event it makes any decisions at all about the immediate future of GFG. We are engaged with GFG, we are engaged with creditors, and we are acting in a way that is prudent and consistent with the interests of those creditors themselves. Let me tell you, and I would say this to Mr Press or anyone else, it is a responsibility that we take really seriously. Much of the government's economic agenda we see Whyalla being a critical part of.

There is a big economic opportunity in the Upper Spencer Gulf. We have been plain about that from the outset, in fact, going back to when we were in opposition. We have a credible economic plan to seek to uplift the future of the Upper Spencer Gulf, particularly with the proximity of that magnetite resource to a steelworks to a port and also the incredible value that we see attached to the state's copper resource not too far north from Whyalla. Those elements underpin the State Prosperity Project, which we have put a lot of effort into. Only today, BHP has released its results, and contained within those results are an ever-increasing emphasis on the future of copper to that business. Of course, the state has a massive role to play there.

All of these matters of policy we take really seriously, and that is only exacerbated when you take the time to sit down and talk to these people. The member for Giles and I were together yesterday. I spoke earlier on the phone this morning to another creditor that I have a lot of regard for. The one thing they want from this government is thoughtful, considered decision-making because we can't afford to get this wrong, and that is why we are determined to get it right. I would make sure that every creditor in the state that is listening to these remarks knows that we are not going to let them down.