Senate debates Questions without Notice

Taxation


Penny Wong

Penny Wong SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs

2:13 pm

First I'd say, Senator—and I understand that there's a desire to play a bit of politics and a bit of ideology in this—what we are very clear about is that securing Whyalla is essential. It is essential because we do want to continue to see domestic structural and long-steel capability. We are prepared to work with the South Australian government, the workers, their union and the community to ensure a future for Whyalla. Yes, we are prepared to invest taxpayer funds because we believe industrial capability matters to our country. Senator, I would make the point that a number on your side—and I can't recall if you were one of them—were highly critical of the government stepping in to secure the future of Tomago, but we did that. We did that because it is critical not only to have that capability but also to the regional economy and—

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