Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday night I had a great pleasure of attending the Nyrstar long service awards. Like all good companies, Nyrstar recognises that the strength of their success is in the quality of their workers, and there's nothing like longevity to give a good understanding of the place. The people that have achieved 10 years, 25 years, 40 and 45 years of service were all recognised on the night. Because the list of those with 10 years of service is a bit long, I will stick to the 40s and 45s. Craig Roberts, Michael Swaerse, David Court, David Young and Dennis Buchanan were marked with 40 years of service. Wayne Harding, Paul Nieass and Jeff Rawlins had 45 years of service. Some of them talked about the changes that have come into the smelting industry over that time.

It's worth pointing out that the smelters in Port Pirie have been there 130 years, and the Broken Hill associated smelters were the beginning of BHP, so in a way it's the birthplace of BHP. They currently employ 1,350 people. They contributed $1.76 billion to the Australian economy last year, and spent $839 million back in the economy. So they are exemplary employers, and I thank those people who give that long-term service to their community and to the company.