QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:07): I thank Senator Sheldon for his question, and I thank him for a lifetime of supporting working people. What he understands is how important this announcement is for working people and their families in his home state of New South Wales, as well as the importance it has for the country.

At the end of last year, the Prime Minister went to Tomago and he told workers there, 'We have got your back.' Well, today Labor is delivering. We are delivering to ensure that not only will Tomago survive but it will thrive into the future. The announcement today is a $2.5 billion investment, shared fifty-fifty between state and federal Labor governments.

Together we are keeping Tomago open. Labor is delivering real change, protecting thousands of jobs in the Hunter. Senator Ruston interjecting— Senator WONG: I'll take the interjections of Senator Ruston.

You can't bear it that working people's jobs have been saved, can you? You just can't bear that we have actually delivered an outcome which will support not only jobs but additional renewable energy capacity, and you can't bear it that this government is backing Australian industry. This is a long-term plan which supports commercially sustainable operations beyond 2028 and expands renewable capacity in New South Wales.

This investment will underpin nearly three gigawatts of new renewables and firming capacity—renewable energy backed by gas and storage—because aluminium is essential to Australian industry and it is essential that we smelt it here. This year, we have been reminded about how fragile international supply chains can be and why it is that it is so important to ensure economic resilience here in Australia, and that is what Albanese Labor has done.

The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Minister. Senator Sheldon, first supplementary?