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

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (15:08): Supplementary: has the minister met with the Steel Task Force?

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (15:08): I appreciate the line of inquiry from the opposition because this is a really important subject. The Whyalla Steelworks is fundamentally important to the Upper Spencer Gulf, the people of Whyalla and not just the state's economy but the nation's capacity to be able to sovereignly produce steel and other critical products that we require to build things.

The government is treating the whole situation with GFG more seriously than anybody could know. The Steel Task Force is reporting up through the minister and the appropriate cabinet committees on a highly frequent basis. I have the CE of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, along with the Under Treasurer and basically every senior official, including the CE of the Department for Energy and Mining, working on an almost daily basis to keep abreast of the situation that we see unfolding within the steelworks, while simultaneously and concurrently working assiduously to deliver the Hydrogen Jobs Plan.

The Minister for Energy and Mining, who is obviously currently overseas, has met with Mr Gupta and Mr Gupta's most senior representatives on basically a constant basis, so I don't think that there is any suggestion on behalf of anybody who is observing the government's actions, or who is familiar with the government's actions, who wouldn't know how seriously we are treating the situation.

We have multiple objectives here. First and foremost, we want to give GFG every opportunity to succeed. That is the best possible outcome here. But we also have the objective of making sure that the required transformation of the steelworks enabled through government policy that occurs is implemented regardless of GFG's circumstances, because that is the responsible course of action.

We are not putting all of the Upper Spencer Gulf's eggs in the basket of GFG. We have a plan for the Upper Spencer Gulf that is able to be achieved independently of any particular private company that might be operating within Whyalla. We have a comprehensive plan that is robust, that is resilient and that we are committed to delivering, because what it constitutes is a serious industrial policy that the government has been working on over a sustained period and will continue to work on for as long as we can make a contribution to the people of Whyalla and surrounds having a good job in the long-term that provides a good standard of living for their families.

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