Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak on some issues currently facing my electorate of Bass, a number of which are interlinked. As some would know, BHP Billiton recently announced the temporary closure of the Temco manganese smelter at Bell Bay in Bass. Other recent reports indicate that Rio Tinto's Bell Bay smelter is also facing uncertainty. This is due to a range of factors, largely the high Australian dollar, low aluminium prices and increased costs of production.

It is a difficult time for aluminium smelting right around the globe, not just at Bell Bay. Although these comments create a level of uncertainty in the region, it is important to note that both businesses have confirmed that these uncertainties are not linked to the Labor government's price on carbon—unlike the scaremongering we hear from those opposite. These decisions are due to the factors that I have just outlined—the high Australian dollar, low aluminium prices and increased costs of production. While we would like the Australian dollar to be 78c to assist manufacturing, it is encouraging to hear recent reports from Rio Tinto indicating that they do not have any current plans to cut jobs or production at the Bell Bay smelter.

This business must be maintained. It employs 8,000 direct and indirect jobs in Tasmania and is a vital part of the state's economy. There are, however, negotiations underway between Rio Tinto and the Tasmanian state government regarding electricity prices. I have written to the Tasmanian government urging them in the strongest terms to facilitate a satisfactory outcome regarding these vital negotiations as a matter of priority. A positive outcome to these negotiations is essential in ensuring the long-term viability of this company, aluminium production in the state and the Tasmanian economy. This will require political will as the electricity provider will not necessarily consider employment, GDP or the maintenance of lifestyle.

There are challenges, especially in the manufacturing industry, but this does not warrant those opposite talking down the economy. The constant negativity and pictures of doom and gloom from those on the other side must stop, such as that from the member for Indi, who recently painted a very grim picture of the electorate of Bass in a speech that she delivered in this place. Perhaps the member for Indi could be more constructive in her ill-informed comments rather than just flying into Bass, sipping on a coffee in a local coffee shop and leaving again. This is typical of those on the other side of this House with their constant negativity, no, no, no and their total lack of any constructive policy announcements.

Those opposite are a policy vacuum with no ideas on how to address the challenges that our economy is facing with the ever increasing international pressures. There is no clearer example of this than their opposition to the government's handling of the economy during the global financial crisis, where the Australian Labor government kept the country out of recession, supported jobs and supported working families with our initiatives. However, as I have said in this place before, whenever there was an opening, whether it was a BER or another major infrastructure initiative, who was there? The state Liberals or the federal Liberal candidates, even though their federal counterparts voted against the jobs these projects created.

Last week, I welcomed into my electorate the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, the Hon. Tony Burke, and we toured the site of the proposed Gunns pulp mill. We were both impressed with the preliminary site work that has been carried out by Gunns and I would like to urge those on the other side to drop their negative attitudes and the no, no, no, and join us in publicly supporting the pulp mill proposal to enable positive signals to be sent out to the investors with whom Gunns are negotiating to secure the necessary funding to move this development to construction.

The electorate of Bass, and Tasmania as a whole, does have a bright future, but that will only be achieved through the hard work and commitment of us all, rather than people flying in from interstate, sipping a latte and spitting and hissing negativity and scaremongering. My electorate expects far more than this. People from both sides of this House must act in a professional and diligent way to address the challenges of regional Australia and that is what I am committed to doing in representing my constituents in the great electorate of Bass.