ALCOA THE LATEST FATALITY IN LABOR’S ENERGY MESS
- Labor’s agenda threatens Australia’s ability to compete, as Safeguards, energy policy deliver job losses.
- Alcoa refinery closure another sign of Labor’s anti-mining, anti-investment policy failures.
- Coalition calls for reform of critical minerals policy to halt further closures.
The recent closure of Alcoa’s alumina refinery is yet another notch on Labor’s shameful track record on securing Australia’s critical minerals potential, as they continue to drive Australian industry, investment, and jobs offshore.
Labor has presided over three years of resources projects, manufacturing hubs, and industrial capacity closing down thanks to their anti-investment, anti-jobs resources policy, and their reckless renewables only energy policy. The Safeguards tax has only weakened Australia’s ability to compete and companies are now making conscious choices to cease investing in Australia, and closing their doors. This is costing thousands of Australian jobs.
Senator McDonald said that these latest job losses were completely avoidable if the Government had actually identified a clear pathway to securing our critical minerals supply chains, instead of grandstanding about their renewables-only agenda.
“In June 2023 I called on the Government to refocus their critical minerals agenda, include key minerals like copper, nickel, zinc and alumina on the Critical Minerals List, and urgently work on securing Australia’s minerals and industrial supply chains” Senator McDonald said.
“Instead, what we have seen in the last three years is refineries and mines shut their doors, generational industrial hubs under threat of closure, and thousands of Australian workers losing their jobs. These failures lie directly at the feet of the Albanese Labor Government.
“It is time for the Government to reform our critical minerals agenda and secure our sovereign capability, before we lose more projects and jobs. How many more closures will it take before the Government takes action.”
ENDS