NSW Industry Minister Anthony Roberts has hit back at claims he “chickened out” of attending the Senate steel inquiry’s public hearing in Wollongong last week.
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The lack of a NSW government representative at Friday’s inquiry, and at the community “Save our Steel” rally that preceded it, wasn’t lost on the opposition and unions.
Labor Senator for Victoria, and the party’s spokesman for industry, Kim Carr described the non-attendance as a “profound disappointment”, while Independent South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon didn’t hold back with his scathing assessment during the rally.
“They [the NSW government] are gutless wonders for not turning up to the Senate inquiry here today [Friday],” Senator Xenophon told the 100-strong crowd.
Shellharbour MP Anna Watson, who didn’t attend the rally, used a media release to lambaste Mr Roberts and the Baird government for its decision to “chicken out” of appearing before the public hearing.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union also slammed Mr Roberts for “declining an invitation” to take part in the inquiry’s public hearings.
“Anthony Roberts had an important opportunity to show this government’s support for steelworkers today [Friday] but he didn’t even turn up,” NSW AMWU secretary Tim Ayres said.
“This is an insult to the workers of BlueScope Steel and the entire Illawarra community.”
A spokesman for Mr Roberts said he was “not officially invited to attend the Senate inquiry and had commitments on the day as it was”.
“However, the NSW government understands and appreciates the importance of the steel industry to the Illawarra community and to the NSW economy,” the spokesman told the Mercury.
“In fact, the government is a very large customer of the Australian steel industry. Its products are used everywhere in our infrastructure and general construction works.”
Asked if the government had further plans to help the steel industry, the spokesman cited the already-announced deferral of payroll tax of up to $60 million over three years had “helped BlueScope maintain its Port Kembla operations.”
Steel use mandate ‘flawed’: Roberts
“Any proposals to mandate the use of Australian steel products are fundamentally flawed, costly and impractical”.
The Mercury this week asked NSW Industry Minister Anthony Roberts if he supported a mandated percentage of Australian-made steel being used in state government infrastructure projects.
The words above were included in the answer from Mr Roberts’ office.
The response, provided by a spokesman, also stated: “Suppliers should be free to choose where they source their products, as long as they meet the required Australian standards.”
“A law requiring the use of Australian made steel on all NSW government infrastructure projects would breach the terms of those free trade agreements, which would allow other countries to place tariffs on Australian exports,” the spokesman said.
Full response from Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy Anthony Roberts’ office:
“The Minister was not officially invited to attend the Senate Inquiry and had commitments on the day as it was.
However, the NSW Government understands and appreciates the importance of the steel industry to the Illawarra community and to the NSW economy.
In fact, the Government is a very large customer of the Australian steel industry. Its products are used everywhere in our infrastructure and general construction works.
Over the past three years, the NSW Government has bought approximately $26 billion of construction goods and services.
Over two thirds of this spending - $17.2 billion – was with NSW-based businesses. Virtually all of the remainder was paid to Australian-based companies.
Government announced a targeted assistance package provides a structured deferral of payroll tax of up to $60 million over three years to BlueScope through a defined payment schedule.
These measures helped BlueScope maintain its Port Kembla operations amid tough global business conditions.
You might recall BlueScope Chairman Graham Kraehe: “We also thank the NSW Government for deferring $60 million of payroll tax payments over the next three years, as well as reductions in other charges. The arrangement we have struck demonstrates the Government’s clear support for our employees, our business and the Illawarra and it has been a key component in the Board’s decision to keep the Steelworks open.”
Any proposals to mandate the use of Australian steel products in fundamentally flawed, costly and impractical
Suppliers should be free to choose where they source their products, as long as they meet the required Australian Standards
This is known as free market economics and the this Government seeks Value for Money
This proposal would impose on the state’s 97,000 suppliers in the construction and maintenance sector the requirement to have two sets of supply chains – one for the NSW Government and one for everyone else
It is also important to note that Australia is a signatory to multiple free trade agreements – and any of these proposals would only have limited application to certain projects – unless our free trade obligations are breached
NSW is subject to nine free trade agreements signed by Australia include several that apply to state government procurement activities.
A law requiring the use of Australian made steel on all NSW Government infrastructure projects would breach the terms of those free trade agreements, which would allow other countries to place tariffs on Australian exports.”
