Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Much has been said about the tragedy of job losses at BlueScope Steel in the Illawarra. Many of the workers live in the Shellharbour area of the Gilmore electorate and I would like to read a letter sent to me yesterday to show how a steelworker views the situation. Mr Michael Grogan of Shellharbour writes:

I am writing this letter to you all as a lifelong resident of the South Coast and Illawarra. I am married with 2 children that I have great hope for. I have been employed at the Port Kembla Steelworks since leaving school in 1983. In that time I have seen a vast number of changes take place both inside the works and in our community in general. Until now, I have not seen one that has had the potential to be as devastating to the community as the one announced yesterday regarding the removal of 800 plus jobs.

As a citizen of this community I am calling on you to change the way you think. As our elected representatives the time has come for change. Rescue packages, bailout packages, relocation packages are all after the fact results. When I watch the news and hear the Prime Minister and Industry Minister address what happened yesterday with political spin and rhetoric I wonder what the future is for my country as a whole.

Growing up and being educated as a child and young man, I was regaled with stories of the growth of this country. The Snowy Hydro scheme, the irrigation of the Riverina, even the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. All symbols of the growth and prosperity of our great nation. Perhaps I was naive and idealistic to believe it could continue. But why shouldn’t it?

We need to look beyond the ends of our noses. Bureaucracy needs to disappear. Like our forefathers, as a nation we need to start to make things happen. In our area alone a number of initiatives could go ahead that could create employment and long term growth opportunities. The raw material that we are digging out of the ground and sending to China is doing just that. They are building solid infrastructure. We should be doing the same.

What is stopping a second airport being built near Goulburn with a fast train that services Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne? A percentage of the material involved could be sourced from Australian suppliers such as BlueScope. It would certainly be a faster journey than catching the train from Sydney Airport to Oak Flats. We built the SeaCliff bridge, why don't we have a fast train that services Sydney from the Illawarra? It would drastically reduce road traffic, while again creating local jobs.

The Shellharbour Marina must occur. Why spend $100 million relocating displaced steel workers? Spend it building something that will employ them in their local area. Whether or not the residents of Shellharbour oppose it based on their own personal wants is no longer valid, it is a growth opportunity for our area. Housing estates are not long term employment options. Long term decisions need to be made

We have a fantastic port that is under utilised. The Illawarra region is a prime candidate for processing plants that are being sent overseas, provided transport infrastructure is up to scratch. Again, an opportunity for BlueScope, local fabricators and the people of the Illawarra. Business will be encouraged to invest in the area if the correct facilities are in place. Getting these facilities is going to take bi partisan support and some extra attention being focused on our region. You all need to remember that the Illawarra doesn't have the same sized coal and viticulture industry to fall back on that the Hunter region had.

The floods in Queensland and Victoria are another example of the potential for infrastructure and growth. I understand the need for environmental conservation as much as anyone, but a lot of the natural flora and fauna of these areas is no longer there. Building dams and causeways, trapping water so that we do not have periods and extreme between drought and flood, piping water to regional Australia can only benefit us all in the long run. It will also allow our native flora and fauna to flourish. There is even a tourism potential in these areas with houseboats, introduced fishing etc. The list is endless.

Lastly, the level of youth unemployment in our region has been too high for too long. Current events aren't going to help that. The Steelworks once trained hundreds of apprentices who have since gone on to all sorts of vocations. That opportunity hasn't existed for a long time. The disaffected youth of Great Britain have shown what can happen when people don't have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. What is to stop any school leaver that is unemployed for more than 6 months spending time in the armed services to learn either a trade or a job specific skill such as driving heavy equipment? They would then be able to go and work in these regional and mining areas that have a shortage of skills. They don't have to go to war, they just need to enhance their skill set. If they find employment whilst training they should be free to leave so they can take up the offer.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it has provided some food for thought with some of my ideas. Being a government in surplus due to holes being dug in the ground shouldn't be our sole focus. I urge you to look to the visionaries of the past. Seize upon their ideals and beliefs so that we can make this country grow once more. We are the envy of the world in so many ways, and we have the opportunity to remain that way through your leadership. I await your non politicised replies.

I could not agree more with Mr Grogan, and I ask that my colleagues—and I note the member for Throsby is in the chamber—to take heed and lobby the RDA for some of those projects to take place, especially the marina at Shellharbour, which would create 1,000 jobs. I thank Mr Grogan for his views and respect the fact that he is asking for bipartisan support. I assure him that this side of the politics will not make matters any worse by the introduction of a carbon tax.