QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr CONROY (Shortland—Minister for Pacific Island Affairs and Minister for Defence Industry) (14:52): I thank you for the question about the future of the aluminium industry. As I said in an earlier answer, we're fighting every day to keep Tomago open. We're working very hard with the state government and Rio, and we've said that every option is to be considered.
Nothing is off the table, and we're working very hard. The Hunter has been very good to Rio, and it's time that Rio was good to the Hunter. In terms of the broader issues around the aluminium sector, one issue your question went to is energy prices, so it's incumbent on me to point out where the wholesale price is at the moment.
The current wholesale price in New South Wales is $70.58. When we came to power, in May 2022, it was $320. Under your party it was $320, compared to $70.
Energy prices are one issue that we're all dealing with at the moment, but they've come down considerably at a wholesale level since we came into government. Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my left, you've asked the question.
Mr CONROY: In terms of other industry policies, we won't be lectured on support for the aluminium sector by the Liberal Party. Let's remind people what has happened over the last few years. In 2014, when the last aluminium smelter was being considered for closure, which was Point Henry, what did those opposite do?
They did nothing. They didn't engage with Alcoa. They didn't engage with the Victorian government.
In fact, they cheered the closure of that smelter. Joe Hockey, the then treasurer, said we shouldn't be despondent about the closure of the Alcoa facility, and I table a news article quoting Joe Hockey saying that we shouldn't be despondent about those jobs going. Almost a thousand jobs went, and those opposite did nothing about it.
In fact, they actively cheered it on. By contrast, we have a range of industry policies to support the aluminium sector, from fixing mining approvals while protecting the environment— The SPEAKER: Hang on a sec. Just resume your seat for a second.
This will assist the House. Member for Wannon, I don't want to take your point of order. The minister was straying, but, as you'll probably agree, he's now talking about the policy he was asked about.
If he strays off again, I'll be watching closely. How about that? The minister is in continuation, making sure he's directly relevant to the question he was asked by the member for Lyne, to assist the House.
Mr CONROY: As I was saying, we've got a range of policies to strengthen and grow the aluminium supply chain, from fixing mining approvals while protecting the environment to securing affordable gas for alumina refineries through the gas market review and backing our smelters with the green aluminium production credit. We're going to keep working on this, and we're going to keep working with Rio and the state government to explore every option.
Unlike those opposite, we don't cheer when manufacturing jobs go overseas. We don't dare them to leave. We fight for manufacturing jobs because every day we back Aussie workers, unlike those opposite, whose election policy was based on Tomago being closed down.
That's what they think about manufacturing in this country. We get up and we fight for aluminium jobs every day like we fight for every manufacturing job—unlike those opposite.