David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is a good point, Senator Cash. Here we have a roundtable meeting to address the issues raised by Nyrstar in respect of the threat to its Australian operations presented by the government’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme—operations, which I remind the Senate, employ around 3½ thousand people in Port Pirie and about half of that number in Hobart. But no-one was invited from Nyrstar who could explain how the threat to its operations would actually materialise.

We have heard from the minister that her department has met with Nyrstar four times, but she has never met with Nyrstar. This meeting today would have presented an ideal opportunity for her to sit down with representatives from Nyrstar and to actually listen to their concerns and take them into account. No-one was present at the roundtable meeting who could meaningfully respond to the platitudes and diversions that would no doubt be put forward by the minister. (Time expired)