Stephen Jones (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to update the House on circumstances surrounding the steel industry in my electorate of Throsby, in particular the circumstances surrounding BlueScope at Port Kembla.

It would be known to members in this place that nearly two months ago the company advised the stock exchange and the government that it proposed to restructure its operations and exit the export market for steel and that, as a consequence, it would be closing down the No. 6 blast furnace and significantly reducing its workforce. In the time since that announcement and last week, representatives of the workforce, principally the Australian Workers Union, the metalworkers union, the Electrical Trades Union and others, have been engaged in negotiations with representatives of BlueScope management, and I am very pleased to say that those negotiations have resulted in an outcome that is acceptable to both parties. I would like to pass my congratulations to the officials from the AWU, particularly the Port Kembla branch secretary, Andy Gillespie, and his assistant secretary, Wayne Davies, on managing to save 93 jobs as a result of those negotiations with management. Their work has ensured that, although approximately 920 workers will be facing redundancy, there will be no forced redundancies. An enhanced redundancy package was also put in place for the benefit of those workers. This is a sensational outcome. It is worth noting that this was all possible because of the reform to the industrial relations system that the government put in place upon winning office in 2007. These arrangements were all put in place without a day's work lost through strikes or stoppages under the Fair Work Act. So I would like to congratulate the steel industry unions in particular but all parties to the negotiations on that outcome.

Of course, it now falls to BlueScope to restructure its operations to ensure that, as it focuses on the domestic market, it has a viable steel production and fabrication business here in Australia. We are all familiar with its world-famous Colorbond product. BlueScope is investing now in research and development into new products. Of course, this underscores the importance of the steel transformation plan, which passed through this House yesterday, regrettably not with the support of those who sit on the opposite side of the chamber. It is a $300 million package.

Mr Tehan interjecting—

See this speech in context