Matt Smith (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government working with the Queensland government to protect jobs in regional Queensland and strengthen Australia's copper capability?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt foday our government has announced a joint investment with the Queensland government, in Glencore's Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery. Support will be jointly provided to ensure more than 600 direct jobs remain ongoing, with an additional 500 jobs at the nearby Phosphate Hill facility.

Glencore's Mount Isa smelter reinforces Australia's position as a key global supplier of copper. In this century, part of the transition to clean energy requires a greater use of copper. It is used as a conductor in everything, from electric vehicles to batteries, that will power the globe in the 21st century. This is a valuable resource that we can't afford to lose. Its important to Queensland and it's important to the nation. It's jobs, it's industry capability and it's economic power, and I thank Premier Crisafulli for the constructive engagement that we have had over recent weeks to be able to deliver this announcement.

The investment announced today, though, has been made contingent on Glencore taking their share of responsibility as well. This includes conducting a transformation study, putting in the work to bring the facility into the modern day, evaluating the end-to-end copper value chain in the region so that Mount Isa and Australia continue to benefit from a sustainable and long-term industry. Both the Commonwealth and the Queensland governments will support Glencore in that evaluation process.

Glencore needs to back Mount Isa just as Mount Isa has backed Glencore. Both the Premier and I are very clear about that with the company. It is a highly profitable company, delivering billions in dividends to shareholders this year alone. Future opportunities for industry mean that companies must invest to meet those opportunities. Of course, as the member for Kennedy has reminded the House on a number of occasions, there are third-generation workers at the Mount Isa facility. Our government wants there to be a fourth and a fifth generation. I've met workers there in the many visits that I've had to Mount Isa and it's quite clear that, if that facility closed, it would have a devastating impact on that community and on that important town in north Queensland.

We say to those workers at that facility that we're going to look after your jobs. We want to make sure that your children can have a good job too. That is what we are determined to do. That's what today's announcement will deliver. Once again, this government is backing jobs and backing industry. We're making sure we're also backing regional Queensland.