The situation at Liberty Bell Bay is deeply concerning.

For months, Labor has been raising concerns about the energy price rises that have hit Liberty and other major industrials. I am concerned that this is heading towards a crisis across our major industrials whereby the government is actively making the situation worse.

Premier Rockliff’s statement yesterday was factually wrong. Liberty Bell Bay is not in care and maintenance. Rather, it will be going into limited operations.

The Premier needs to get across the detail of this. Now. This situation didn’t come out of nowhere, there have been warning signs for months – especially the situation at Whyalla Steelworks in South Australia. For more than six months, industry experts, unions, and local stakeholders have been raising concerns about ore supply pressures and uncertainty surrounding GFG finances.

If the Premier didn’t know what was happening at Liberty Bell Bay, he should have just said so, instead of making it up.

Labor Leader Dean Winter and I have been in constant contact with the company, and its workforce through the Australian Workers Union.

We will be working with the Australian Government through Industry Minister Tim Ayres. I am confident they are prepared to help, but this needs to be led by the Premier, and he needs to wake up and get across the detail before it’s too late.

This is a critically important local business of national significance - not just for the 300 workers and their families, but for the broader regional economy and Tasmania’s industrial future.

Janie Finlay MP
Shadow Minister for Energy & Renewables