Cath Blakey grew up describing her dad as a “chef” who worked at the Port Kembla steelworks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Now, the Illawarra Greens spokeswoman, and recently-announced federal election candidate for Cunningham, wants the government to make sure it gets the country's steel protection recipe just right.
Ms Blakey’s father recently retired after 40 years in the steelworks' flat products division.
“He was a metallurgist. As a kid, I always just thought of him as a chef for steel, mixing up steel ingredients,” she said.
It's a personal connection to the BlueScope plant that means her drive to secure its future extends beyond politics.
“The steelworks has cleaned its act up a lot over the last 40 years that my dad worked there,” Ms Blakey said.
“It’s an important part of the economy in Wollongong and if we talk about links to the university and technological innovation that won’t happen if we don’t have a steelworks.”
The Illawarra Greens’ submission to the Senate steel inquiry, which held public hearings in Wollongong on Friday, listed a number of recommendations, including a national procurement policy that “maximises Australian content in steel for government projects”.
Ms Blakey called on the government to do more to support the industry, citing the lifeline recently offered to Whyalla steelmaker Arrium.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced Arrium would be given a no-bid contract to replace up to 1200 kilometres of rail line overseen by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
“We think the government should be not choosing just that one particular steelworks but supporting all government-funded projects to be built with Australian steel,” she said.