Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. I would want firstly to go specifically to BlueScope and then talk more broadly about protecting Australian jobs. Let me say specifically on BlueScope: inevitably, as we work out way through this carbon pricing debate, we will see claims and counterclaims in the media. I say to the member and to the Australian public generally that when they see those claims it would pay to run the fine-tooth comb over them so people have the accurate facts. I believe in people having the facts.

So on BlueScope Steel let’s go through those facts for the member. There was a report that BlueScope was planning to abandon building a $1billion cogeneration plant at its Port Kembla steelworks. That was reported in the newspaper. The fact is they cancelled that project prior to the carbon price announcement that was reported on 26 February. It is very important that people get the facts. And then, of course, on BlueScope Steel, because the member specifically asked me about BlueScope Steel, we did at an earlier time during debates about carbon pricing have BlueScope Steel saying that it was shelving a cogeneration plant because at that stage the carbon price had been deferred by a year. So, actually, they wanted the carbon price in order to understand the financial—

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