“THERE is thousands of direct and indirect jobs, right now, sitting on the line. It is bloody Christmas coming up mate, these guys could be getting their last pay cheque.”
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That’s how outspoken Independent Senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie summed up Christopher Pyne’s lack of presence at a meeting with Illawarra steel campaigners on Wednesday.
“You won’t even see the blue-collar workers of Australia,” Senator Lambie said of the federal Industry Minister at a media conference in Canberra on Thursday. “Are they beneath you? Are they Mr Pyne? Is that what the problem is?
“I’m absolutely disgusted that we’re in a critical situation and you don’t have time to see these people.”
Independent Senator for Victoria John Madigan said: “The government needs to wake up, what is their plan for the future of the Australian steel industry?”
“We’re sick to death of hearing about innovation, we’re sick to death of everyone being told to lift their game; how about the government lifts their game and acts in Australia’s national interest.”
Senator Madigan joined Senator Lambie and fellow crossbencher, Independent Senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon to address the media about what they say is an industry in crisis.
Senator Xenophon said if steel could no longer be made in Australia, “we pretty much can’t make anything because its the very foundation of manufacturing”.
“If one steelworks goes down it will put enormous pressure on any remaining steelworks, so that is a crisis we’re facing,” he said.
“This is a major crisis for manufacturing in this country and it deserves an urgent emergency response.”
Senator Lambie echoed the sentiment: “This is a national emergency and it’s only going to get worse unless we start putting our foot down”.
Steel industry campaigners, including South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris and Australian Workers Union Port Kembla branch secretary Wayne Phillips, also addressed the media.
“Without the industry, Wollongong dies,” Mr Phillips said.
“We are calling on the minister to get his finger out … tell us either he can or can’t do [anything], at least we know where he stands.
“It’s just too important to muck around with. I don’t understand why it’s so bloody hard for a government to say we’ll use our products in our projects.”
Mr Pyne will hear the Illawarra’s steel plight first-hand when he meets with a group of stakeholders for a roundtable meeting in Sydney on Tuesday.
Meantime, British Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced he’d help with the steel crisis there by ensuring UK government projects use British steel.
“Prime Minister Cameron has personally taken control of this issue in the UK,” Senator Madigan said.
“Our Prime Minister, our government, refuses to act and also our opposition in this country refuses to act. [They] are either unable or unwilling to act in the national interest and the interest of Australians and their jobs.”
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