❓ Mr Love questions the evidence supporting the Premier's claim about using local green steel in government projects, given industry skepticism about its near-term commercial viability. The Premier's response focuses on the government's commitment to renewable energy and green steel projects, but doesn't directly address the evidence requested.
AnsweredQoN 604Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Green steel—Government projects604.Mr Shane Loveto
thePremier:I refer to the
Premier's announcement that local green steel will be used in major government projects.
Given that industry experts, including BHP, have confirmed that green steel
production will not be commercially viable within the next five years and that BHP's
pilot project is not expected to commence until 2028, what evidence did the
government rely on before making this claim?
thePremier:I refer to the
Premier's announcement that local green steel will be used in major government projects.
Given that industry experts, including BHP, have confirmed that green steel
production will not be commercially viable within the next five years and that BHP's
pilot project is not expected to commence until 2028, what evidence did the
government rely on before making this claim?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
12 November 2025
Response time
0 days
Mr Roger Cook replied:I thank the member
for the question because it gives me an opportunity to run through my Dorothy
Dixer for the day. As the member knows—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt, this is a
question from your party. If you continue to interject, the leader will not get
his supplementary question.Mr Roger Cook:We are the political party that
believes in creating jobs, including manufacturing jobs. That is one of the key
reasons we had our Made in WA plan as part of our election commitments in 2025.
We will stop at nothing to ensure that Western Australia becomes a renewable
energy powerhouse, utilising the abundant assets of solar and wind to continue
to provide renewable energy that will help decarbonise not only our economy,
but also the economies of Southeast Asia. An important opportunity that comes
from the generation of that renewable energy is the processing of iron ore and
other minerals in Western Australia utilising the affordability of that
renewable energy. It is an important opportunity that is about setting up the
state for the future and creating the jobs of the future. We have green steel
projects the length and breadth of this state that are in various stages of development.
That includes the NeoSmelt project in Kwinana and the Karara project in the Mid
West. We have a number of proponents looking at the Pilbara at the moment and,
of course, we have advanced projects in the Collie area around the production
of recycled green steel.There are two
elements to this. One is the production of green iron precursor products.Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition!Mr Roger Cook:That is the onshore processing of
hematite and magnetite iron ore, which is now the subject of significant
technology testing, research and advancement.Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, you have
asked the question. Let the Premier respond.Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party!Mr Roger Cook:This is a huge opportunity—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, I am
calling you for the first time.Dr Tony Butiinterjected.The Speaker:Attorney General, thank you.Mr Roger Cook:There is a huge opportunity here for
Western Australia. As I said, it is the same opportunity that Sir David Brand
and Sir Charles Court saw when they were leaders of this state.Several members
interjected.Mr Roger Cook:Member, I am pretty happy to accept
that they were exceptional leaders, but the member is nowhere near their league
either. I do not think they even make members for Cottesloe as well as they did
in the last round.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Roger Cook:I appreciate that this is a question
from the Leader of the Nationals WA and that opposition members would like an
answer, even though they are too busy listening to themselves.There are two key opportunities here. One is the
production of green iron precursor products that will ultimatelysee
Western Australia process its iron ore in this state. That has been one of the
holy grails for Western Australia's resources industry—Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition, I have warned
you a number of times to stop interjecting unnecessarily. I am going to call
you for the first time.Mr Roger Cook:This is a huge opportunity for Western
Australia and we are not going to let that opportunity slip through our
fingers. We are going to make sure that we provide a vision for Western
Australia that people—Ms Sandra Brewerinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, I am going to call
you for the first time as well. That was unnecessary.Mr Roger Cook:These projects are the subject of
millions upon millions of dollars of investment today from companies like BHP,
Rio Tinto, BlueScope and Woodside. They are companies that—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, you are
putting your supplementary question in jeopardy.Mr Roger Cook:The opportunity around green iron and
the production of green precursor products for global steel manufacturing
supply chains is enormous, and that is what we are pursuing relentlessly, but
there is also an opportunity around green recycled steel. That is steel that we
already have in our economy that we can recycle to make reinforced bars as part
of a local supply chain for construction for some of the great projects that we
have been talking about over the last couple of weeks. It is an opportunity to
incorporate locally produced green recycled steel in our local projects. As I
said, one of our biggest exports out of the Fremantle port is actually scrap
metal. What a wasted opportunity. We know that some of those projects are in
advanced stages, so they will come on stream much faster, but they will not
come on stream by themselves because nascent industries need a government with
vision and a government that seizes the economic opportunities of the future to
create the incentives to support those nascent industries so that they can
power our economy into the future. That is the way this state has developed—by
governments with vision that are prepared to back that vision to produce
economic prosperity. We have done it in the past and under a WA Labor
government we will do it again today.The Speaker:Leader of the Nationals.
Green steel—Government projects
for the question because it gives me an opportunity to run through my Dorothy
Dixer for the day. As the member knows—Mr Lachlan Hunterinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Central Wheatbelt, this is a
question from your party. If you continue to interject, the leader will not get
his supplementary question.Mr Roger Cook:We are the political party that
believes in creating jobs, including manufacturing jobs. That is one of the key
reasons we had our Made in WA plan as part of our election commitments in 2025.
We will stop at nothing to ensure that Western Australia becomes a renewable
energy powerhouse, utilising the abundant assets of solar and wind to continue
to provide renewable energy that will help decarbonise not only our economy,
but also the economies of Southeast Asia. An important opportunity that comes
from the generation of that renewable energy is the processing of iron ore and
other minerals in Western Australia utilising the affordability of that
renewable energy. It is an important opportunity that is about setting up the
state for the future and creating the jobs of the future. We have green steel
projects the length and breadth of this state that are in various stages of development.
That includes the NeoSmelt project in Kwinana and the Karara project in the Mid
West. We have a number of proponents looking at the Pilbara at the moment and,
of course, we have advanced projects in the Collie area around the production
of recycled green steel.There are two
elements to this. One is the production of green iron precursor products.Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition!Mr Roger Cook:That is the onshore processing of
hematite and magnetite iron ore, which is now the subject of significant
technology testing, research and advancement.Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, you have
asked the question. Let the Premier respond.Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party!Mr Roger Cook:This is a huge opportunity—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, I am
calling you for the first time.Dr Tony Butiinterjected.The Speaker:Attorney General, thank you.Mr Roger Cook:There is a huge opportunity here for
Western Australia. As I said, it is the same opportunity that Sir David Brand
and Sir Charles Court saw when they were leaders of this state.Several members
interjected.Mr Roger Cook:Member, I am pretty happy to accept
that they were exceptional leaders, but the member is nowhere near their league
either. I do not think they even make members for Cottesloe as well as they did
in the last round.Several members
interjected.The Speaker:Members!Mr Roger Cook:I appreciate that this is a question
from the Leader of the Nationals WA and that opposition members would like an
answer, even though they are too busy listening to themselves.There are two key opportunities here. One is the
production of green iron precursor products that will ultimatelysee
Western Australia process its iron ore in this state. That has been one of the
holy grails for Western Australia's resources industry—Mr Basil Zempilasinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the Opposition, I have warned
you a number of times to stop interjecting unnecessarily. I am going to call
you for the first time.Mr Roger Cook:This is a huge opportunity for Western
Australia and we are not going to let that opportunity slip through our
fingers. We are going to make sure that we provide a vision for Western
Australia that people—Ms Sandra Brewerinterjected.The Speaker:Member for Cottesloe, I am going to call
you for the first time as well. That was unnecessary.Mr Roger Cook:These projects are the subject of
millions upon millions of dollars of investment today from companies like BHP,
Rio Tinto, BlueScope and Woodside. They are companies that—Mr Shane Loveinterjected.The Speaker:Leader of the National Party, you are
putting your supplementary question in jeopardy.Mr Roger Cook:The opportunity around green iron and
the production of green precursor products for global steel manufacturing
supply chains is enormous, and that is what we are pursuing relentlessly, but
there is also an opportunity around green recycled steel. That is steel that we
already have in our economy that we can recycle to make reinforced bars as part
of a local supply chain for construction for some of the great projects that we
have been talking about over the last couple of weeks. It is an opportunity to
incorporate locally produced green recycled steel in our local projects. As I
said, one of our biggest exports out of the Fremantle port is actually scrap
metal. What a wasted opportunity. We know that some of those projects are in
advanced stages, so they will come on stream much faster, but they will not
come on stream by themselves because nascent industries need a government with
vision and a government that seizes the economic opportunities of the future to
create the incentives to support those nascent industries so that they can
power our economy into the future. That is the way this state has developed—by
governments with vision that are prepared to back that vision to produce
economic prosperity. We have done it in the past and under a WA Labor
government we will do it again today.The Speaker:Leader of the Nationals.
Green steel—Government projects
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