With the steel procurement bill heading to a vote in NSW Parliament next week, Greens MP David Shoebridge called on the community to keep the pressure on.
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The bill, which calls for mandatory minimums on local steel usage in NSW government projects, returns to the upper house on Thursday.
Mr Shoebridge and federal Greens senator Lee Rhiannon were in Wollongong on Thursday to remind the city about the upcoming vote.
“It’s essential to show that we have community support,” Mr Shoebridge said.
“We want to make sure we continue to have community support so we keep the numbers and pass it through the upper house.
“We’re pretty sure we’ve locked in the numbers but anything local residents can do, local steelworkers can do, between now and next Thursday to talk to the Christian Democrats, talk to the Shooters MP. to Labor and to the government to make sure we get it through the upper house next week would be greatly appreciated.”
Mr Shoebridge also repeated his call for Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward to debate the issues raised by the steel bill in Wollongong.
Mr Ward had said he plans to do his debating in public - on the floor of state parliament.
“We know the public not only wants to see what their political representatives have to say, they want to throw questions at them, to ask them about their policy and ask them what their answers are,” Mr Shoebridge said.
Sen Rhiannon said the NSW actions and legislation were providing a blueprint for federal action on steel.
“What’s happening in NSW really does demonstrate that there is wide commitment to protect the steel industry in Australia,” Sen Rhiannon said.
“We see it as a top priority.
“We’re looking to replicate what’s been achieved in NSW with a bill that would be national and really require that local steel procurement at local, state and federal levels.
“It’s essential, it’s a security issue it’s a jobs issue, it’s an economic issue.”