The Wollongong sitting of the Senate steel inquiry on Friday was another sign of support for the industry's survival, said Arthur Rorris.
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The South Coast Labour Council secretary was called before the Senate inquiry in the Wollongong City Council building on Friday afternoon.
The labour council was one of seven groups to appear before the federal inquiry into the steel industry.
... there is a momentum building now and an awareness outside Whyalla and Wollongong – the steel-producing areas – of just how important and critical the industry is.
- Arthur Rorris
Other groups called before the senators included BlueScope, the Port Kembla branch of the Australian Workers’ Union, the Illawarra Business Chamber and Wollongong City Council.
Mr Rorris said he felt the labour council had a good hearing from the senators and their visit to Wollongong showed the issue is being taken seriously.
“I think that there is a momentum building now and an awareness outside Whyalla and Wollongong – the steel-producing areas – of just how important and critical the industry is and the government’s role to ensure that it survives,” Mr Rorris said.
“You could see by the questions and expressions of the senators - they are in the position to actually make those changes and understand those industries - that even they were surprised by the breathtaking neglect of the government’s duty to defend and support our own industries.”
However, Mr Rorris said he wasn’t expecting Friday’s hearing to have a massive effect on its own.
“We never expected one hearing to result in a change in the government’s approach overnight,” he said.
“But having said that, the deteriorating situation internationally and the impending federal election where these politicians need support to keep their own jobs, I think these things work to focus the attention of politicians a bit more acutely on the real-world problems facing Australian communities.”
The Senate steel inquiry is also holding a day of hearings at Whyalla, home of Arrium, the country's only other steelmaker on Tuesday, before returning to Canberra.
The inquiry’s report is due before June 30, 2016.
