Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-03-04 Daily Xml

Contents

Question Time

Whyalla Steelworks

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): I seek leave to make a brief explanation prior to addressing questions to the Leader of the Government in this place regarding Whyalla Steelworks.

Leave granted.

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO: On 3 March, it was reported by The Advertiser that the Whyalla Steelworks was losing $1.5 million a day since July 2024 and bled $319 million over the seven months prior to the government intervention. My questions to the Leader of the Government in this place are:

1. When did the government first receive advice that action must be taken to put OneSteel Manufacturing into administration?

2. On what date did these conversations occur?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:27): I thank the honourable member for her questions. I won't traverse over the many public statements the Premier, as leader of this government, has made about the Whyalla Steelworks. Suffice to say that, as members would recognise from statements the Premier has made, the government became increasingly concerned about the viability of the Whyalla Steelworks and acted in a fashion in the last sitting week to do what we could to secure the future of the Whyalla Steelworks.

I have to say, sir, I was in Whyalla, your hometown, yesterday with a number of my ministerial colleagues and the sense of relief and the gratitude that a number of people expressed for the action that was taken by this government, and I must say also by this parliament in passing legislation last week, shouldn't be overstated. As a number of people expressed yesterday, there is a sense of optimism now in Whyalla that there hasn't been for quite some time.