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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-09-24 Daily Xml
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GFG Alliance

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (14:17): My question again is to the Premier. Is the Premier considering providing additional financial assistance from the state government to GFG Alliance and, if so, how much?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:17): The state government within its budget already has $50 million on the table that is readily available to GFG to realise the transformation plans. The government doesn't have a policy of handing out cash to any particular enterprise, and GFG is no exception. Cash for operations is a matter for the operation of those businesses, but the Treasurer has in the budget $50 million that is sitting there that is available to GFG as a grant—not as a loan, as a grant—in order for them to be able to realise their transformation, which is absolutely critical to the long-term future of the business.

Separate to that, of course, the state government is committed to our Hydrogen Jobs Plan. The Hydrogen Jobs Plan is a very substantial investment in the establishment of a world-leading—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned for the first time, and the leader is warned for the first time as well.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The Hydrogen Jobs Plan represents a comprehensive investment, a capital investment on behalf of the South Australian government to build a brand-new, world-leading hydrogen production facility immediately adjacent to the steelworks, and that is a very deliberate decision on behalf of this government. As the member for Giles will attest to, there is a long-term opportunity ahead of the state of South Australia in producing green iron.

In order to be able to produce green iron you need access to magnetite, and that exists in the Middleback Ranges, you need a steelworks with ironmaking capability—we have that in Whyalla—but you also need a decarbonised fuel source that will replace coking coal or metallurgical coal. We can do that through the form of green hydrogen but also blending with natural gas in due course. That is why we are making these investments.

This government has a major plan for the Upper Spencer Gulf of our state combined with the opportunity for copper, hence the government's pursuit of the Northern Water project. These two items combined represent big investments for big, long-term plans to create economic prosperity for the future of our state so that young South Australians, whether they live in Adelaide or the Upper Spencer Gulf, have the opportunity to realise all the improvements in the standard of living that are available to those economies that plan for the future.

Regardless of who owns the steelworks, those plans are real. Regardless of who operates the rolling mill or the blast furnace or any other facilities, or the mine or the magnetite mine, there is a substantial economic opportunity in the Upper Spencer Gulf which is exactly what this state government is investing in. It is exactly what we are planning for.

Of course, we know that the people of Whyalla—the good, hardworking people of Whyalla, the men and women who have dedicated generations of their blood, sweat and toil towards the operation of the steelworks—understand that if the steelworks is going to survive in the future there has to be a serious plan for transformation, and they know that this government is committed to it. They also know just how stark the policy contrast is between this government that is setting up the Upper Spencer Gulf for a long-term and prosperous future versus other governments that have preceded it. We look forward to standing strong—

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Brown interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Florey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: When we think about the men and women of Whyalla, we stand ready to act, we stand ready to respond and we remain committed to our long-term policies because that's what we're focused on versus what we know those opposite are focused on, which is everything but the improvement of jobs and standard of living in the Upper Spencer Gulf.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before I call the leader, the member for Morialta is warned for the second and third time, the member for Unley is warned for the first and second time and the member for Hammond is warned for the first and second time.

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