Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the standing orders require, I rise to speak on 90-second statements—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! If everyone in the place had understood the standing orders of the House, we would perhaps not be in this situation. The Chief Government Whip has the call.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In doing so I express my grave concern and, indeed, disappointment in the way the opposition leader in particular, and people like the member for Paterson, have sought to politicise the closure of the Norsk Hydro Aluminium Smelter in my electorate. It is well known to those who live in the area that the Kurri Kurri plant has been losing money for many years. It has been doing so largely because of the high value of the Australian dollar and the depressed state of aluminium prices around the world, which have dropped some 60 per cent since 2008.

The other problem with the smelter has been its inability to secure a long-term power contract with the New South Wales government—I am happy to say this has been with both the present government and the last. One of the things that sets the Norsk Hydro plant apart from the Alcoa plant in Victoria, which has asked for government assistance, is that Hydro has not asked the government for assistance because it does not see any way in which the government could help it through this very difficult period. I ask opposition members to stop politicising people's jobs. (Time expired)