The joint rescue package to secure ongoing operations at Nystar's Port Pirie and Hobart smelters has been welcomed by the Australian Workers' Union, with the AWU now calling for a national strategy to more smoothly manage the retention of Australia's sovereign capability in manufacturing metals.
After months of uncertainty, AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow said the announcement will come as a relief to workers.
"Our members in Port Pirie and Hobart are critical to maintaining Australia's sovereign capability, and yet they have endured months of anxiety about the future of their jobs," Mr Farrow said.
"Finally, these workers and their families have relief. Whole communities were staring down the barrel of disaster and they have been pulled back from the brink. Thankfully, on this occasion, we have seen decisive and far-sighted government action.
"To lose Nyrstar would have constituted a national catastrophe. Nyrstar's operations can and should be the foundation upon which to build a booming critical minerals sector. This rescue package shores those foundations up. Direct investment in an Antimony Pilot Plant will give Nystar the cutting edge as a producer of critical minerals."
Mr Farrow noted that while disaster had been averted in this instance, the government needed a more structured approach to industry support going forward.
"We cannot have a Future Made in Australia, and we cannot assert our sovereignty as a nation, without the capacity to refine metals and critical minerals. So if the government believes we should keep that sovereign capability, then we need to develop a better approach than playing whack-a-mole every time there's a crisis," Mr Farrow said.
"China is spending more on propping up its manufacturing sector than it spends on defence. Either we let them undercut our operations into oblivion, or we step up with a strategic national approach.
"We need to develop a long-term, national strategy to retain our smelters so they can thrive in the future when we get our act together on energy costs.
"A cornerstone of this strategy needs to be an east coast gas reservation so we can provide abundant, affordable Australian gas to industries that need it. The best time to start this was a decade ago when we were calling for it – the second best time is now."
