Seven Point Pork Abattoir

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:50): My question is to the Premier. Has the government met with Jose Batista Sobrinho Australia? With your leave, that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr WHETSTONE: It has been reported that at least 270 workers are set to lose their jobs when JBS Australia cease its operations at the Seven Point Pork Abattoir at Port Wakefield in January.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Police) (14:51): Can I thank the member for Chaffey for his question because I think a lot of people would have been concerned when they saw the media reports that, as far as the media has reported, as a result of Coles shifting its pork contracts away from procuring from that facility towards other facilities, the 270 workers that the member for Chaffey referred to in his question are at risk of losing their jobs. It's not certain at that point in time. The outlook at this point in time is bleak, I think, unless that activity that was previously being conducted to produce pork products through that abattoir facility can be replaced with other types of activity, perhaps other meats.

If there is any silver lining from such bad news for those 270 workers, it's the opportunity for the pork production facility in the member for Hammond's electorate, Big River Pork, to potentially pick up some of that load and continue to expand in a way in which they have been expanding over the last seven years. The member for Hammond perhaps knows this story a little better than me, given his affinity to Big River Pork's operation in his electorate. Big River Pork was a recipient of some support from the Future Jobs Fund back under the previous Labor government, a scheme superintended by the then Treasurer, the member for West Torrens. They went through a period of rapid expansion, growing like a chemistry experiment, I think, taking on an enormous amount of work.

We are concerned about it. I am not sure whether the government has been directly approached by the business. I will take that away and find out an answer for the member for Chaffey. It is really concerning news, particularly when there is so much additional activity generally happening across the economy, let alone in meat processing, that it looks like a major meat processing facility may lose such a significant customer in Coles. We will take that away and see if there's any anything we can do to try to give them some opportunity to continue their industrial production, albeit potentially with different clients.