ADJOURNMENT
Senator CADELL (New South Wales) (19:54): An email was sent to me today. It reads: 'Good afternoon. As you may be aware, over the last few years Tomago Aluminium has been seeking solutions for when its current energy contract finishes at the end of 2028.
We have kept an open mind about Tomago's future, with all options being on the table, including the cessation of operations being a possibility. Despite extensive engagement and market approaches, unfortunately, no future energy solution has emerged to date that would allow TAC, Tomago Aluminium Company, to remain commercially viable after December 2028. Therefore we are now contemplating a full cessation of operations at the end of our current energy contract, and, as such, we are commencing a consultation process with our employees.
As a courtesy, please see attached relevant information that we're sharing with our contractors in relation to this matter. If you have any questions, reach out.' It gives a name—Jerome Dozol, Chief Executive Officer of Tomago Aluminium—and an address. Just a few months ago, in an opinion piece in the Newcastle Herald, I wrote, 'Economic warning: without Tomago, the lights will go out'.
From the early 1980s, Tomago has been there. Now employing 1,400 people, there were originally a thousand people. Its aluminium has gone all around the world.
It's kept the region strong and kept other businesses strong. It's been so important. Each year, the smelter spends about $800 million in the Hunter.
It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year because the potlines have to keep going. Other than the economic impact, it is a shock absorber for the energy market in New South Wales, using 12 per cent of the energy in New South Wales. It is there to soak up, to potentially shut down potlines when there is excess demand.
On a hot summer day, when the air conditioners are taking a load, these people will get a phone call to ask, 'Can you turn off one of your potlines? Can you give us some room? Can you allow the people to get cool?
Can you look after them?' That has been increasingly drawn upon, and it will no longer be there once Tomago goes. Earlier this year, the government used Tomago as a photo backdrop to announce its new low-carbon aluminium production scheme. In short, the taxpayer was going to subsidise every tonne of green aluminium produced in the next 10 years.
This was their plan. If Labor's all-renewables approach is going to achieve the cheapest form of energy, why did we need to volunteer $2 billion worth of taxpayers' money to keep an energy reliant business open? Something is not right here.
But what's worse is that, even with up to $2 billion of subsidies, that is not enough for the energy prices to keep this place viable. Handouts of $2 billion to every metal place across Australia to keep going is not a policy; it is a cop-out. In this chamber today, when asked about this, a minister—I think he is a good person and a good minister—sat there hiding behind the shield of these people, the employees that received that email, as some sort of protection.
How dare we bring this into the chamber? These actions—this email and these potential job losses—are at the hands of the policies of this government and no-one else. When you use it as a backdrop, as a showpiece and as an excuse, you have to back it up.
This government is great with spin—it's great with the messaging—but the policies don't match. They talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. All the time we hear 'fee-free TAFE', but we forget that there are 100,000 fewer apprentices than there were when they came into government.
We hear '$10.5 billion into HAFF', but we don't hear that they've built 100 homes under that. Senator McCarthy interjecting— Senator CADELL: You've built 100. This is the same rubbish as the messaging we get.
As soon as you raise the facts, they interject because they can't handle the truth—it's just like Jack Nicholson in the movie. So now we see 1,400 jobs being flushed because your energy policy, your 100 per cent renewables policy, is a crock! You are seeing investment leave the country because all you want is a grab of net zero.
Senator McCarthy interjecting— Senator Grogan interjecting— Senator CADELL: You have to face the consequences when people leave. The blood is on the hands of the Labor Party. The Hunter—all the regions—will go down because your policies do not match the spin.
This is what we find all of the time. You want all of the news grabs, but you don't want the responsibility. It is time for competency to come into government.
I would love that to be there, because all we have is the messaging. And the people of the Hunter will pay the price for your failures. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Ciccone ): Thank you very much, Senator—a bit fiery for a Tuesday night, but good on you.