❓ Question regarding the potential closure of BHP Nickel West and the federal government's response. The Minister's answer deflects, attacking the opposition's stance on production tax credits and praising the federal Resources Minister.
AnsweredQoN 401Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NICKEL
INDUSTRY
401. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for State and Industry
Development, Jobs and Trade:
I refer to comments made by the
federal Minister for Resources, Madeleine King, that she would be doing nothing
significant beyond the possibility of production tax credits in 2027 to keep
the BHP Nickel West refinery operating and preserve the 3 300 jobs employed in
that business.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms J.J. Shaw interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
member for Swan Hills!
Ms J.J. Shaw : She didn't
say that!
The SPEAKER : Member for Swan
Hills, I just asked you not to interject, and the first thing you did was
interject.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Minister King
also criticised BHP for not investing in that business despite the fact that
BHP had in fact invested $4.5 billion in Nickel West over the past five years.
(1) Given that
BHP is considering the possible closure of the Nickel West business in August
this year, will the minister make sure that Minister King is fully informed of
the facts about the efforts that have already been made by BHP to modernise and
maintain its nickel business?
(2) What steps is
the minister taking to ensure that this critical business does not close down
at the cost of over 3 000 jobs in his own electorate?
INDUSTRY
401. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for State and Industry
Development, Jobs and Trade:
I refer to comments made by the
federal Minister for Resources, Madeleine King, that she would be doing nothing
significant beyond the possibility of production tax credits in 2027 to keep
the BHP Nickel West refinery operating and preserve the 3 300 jobs employed in
that business.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms J.J. Shaw interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please,
member for Swan Hills!
Ms J.J. Shaw : She didn't
say that!
The SPEAKER : Member for Swan
Hills, I just asked you not to interject, and the first thing you did was
interject.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Minister King
also criticised BHP for not investing in that business despite the fact that
BHP had in fact invested $4.5 billion in Nickel West over the past five years.
(1) Given that
BHP is considering the possible closure of the Nickel West business in August
this year, will the minister make sure that Minister King is fully informed of
the facts about the efforts that have already been made by BHP to modernise and
maintain its nickel business?
(2) What steps is
the minister taking to ensure that this critical business does not close down
at the cost of over 3 000 jobs in his own electorate?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) As the member knows, I was not at the breakfast. I have just consulted with the Deputy
Premier, who was there, and I understand that Minister King said no such
thing. What Minister King said is that the production tax credit is an
important sign that the commonwealth government knows the importance of
downstream processing —
Dr D.J. Honey :
In 2027.
Mr R.H. COOK :
— for creating jobs and prosperity in Western Australia.
Dr D.J. Honey :
They are closing this August.
The SPEAKER :
Order, please!
Ms R. Saffioti :
The Liberal Party opposes it.
The SPEAKER : Deputy Premier,
can I ask you to desist. Member for Cottesloe, if you would like to have the
opportunity of a supplementary question, I suggest you do not continuously
interject.
Mr R.H. COOK : I am not sure
why the member would criticise bringing in the production tax credit in 2027
when the member's own party opposes the production tax credit outright.
If the member had his way, he would not have the production tax credit at all,
because his national leader has outright opposed it. It was almost the first
thing he said when it was announced. He did not believe it was an important
part of backing Western Australia's contribution to the national
economy. Peter Dutton is the most anti–Western Australian national
leader that we have had in a generation. He is the man who wants to drag our
economy down. He is the man who wants to kill Western Australian jobs. He is
the man who wants to hold Western Australia back. As the saying goes, and we
hear it all around the community, Minister Madeleine King gets it. She
understands what makes this state tick. She understands what the important opportunity
that critical minerals represents for the state and the national economy in relation to the downstream processing and the
value added in terms of those products and the increase in value of
those exports. There is only one person in the entire country who does not get
that, and that is the federal Leader of the Opposition—the federal
leader of the member for Cottesloe's political party.
What is writ large about the Liberal
Party is that it is opposed to Western Australia's prosperity. It is
opposed to Western Australian jobs. It is opposed to Australia reaching the new
peak opportunity, which is critical minerals. We want to be a renewable energy
powerhouse, which requires the mining, processing, refining and production of
critical minerals that are part of the battery energy supply chain. We need
companies like BHP to stand up and be with us in this important area. We know
that BHP has benefited from extraordinary prosperity as a result of the support
of successive governments over many years and, of course, its own wit and
investments.
We
know that nickel, along with cobalt, copper, lithium, vanadium and magnesium,
will play an incredibly important part in not only our prosperity, but
also the prosperity of the world as it moves to a renewable energy future.
Madeleine King gets that, which is the reason we saw a production tax credit in
the federal budget. It will be an important part of not only incentivising
industries to invest to create great successful companies, but also making sure
that Australia plays its role of moving to a renewable energy future.
Premier, who was there, and I understand that Minister King said no such
thing. What Minister King said is that the production tax credit is an
important sign that the commonwealth government knows the importance of
downstream processing —
Dr D.J. Honey :
In 2027.
Mr R.H. COOK :
— for creating jobs and prosperity in Western Australia.
Dr D.J. Honey :
They are closing this August.
The SPEAKER :
Order, please!
Ms R. Saffioti :
The Liberal Party opposes it.
The SPEAKER : Deputy Premier,
can I ask you to desist. Member for Cottesloe, if you would like to have the
opportunity of a supplementary question, I suggest you do not continuously
interject.
Mr R.H. COOK : I am not sure
why the member would criticise bringing in the production tax credit in 2027
when the member's own party opposes the production tax credit outright.
If the member had his way, he would not have the production tax credit at all,
because his national leader has outright opposed it. It was almost the first
thing he said when it was announced. He did not believe it was an important
part of backing Western Australia's contribution to the national
economy. Peter Dutton is the most anti–Western Australian national
leader that we have had in a generation. He is the man who wants to drag our
economy down. He is the man who wants to kill Western Australian jobs. He is
the man who wants to hold Western Australia back. As the saying goes, and we
hear it all around the community, Minister Madeleine King gets it. She
understands what makes this state tick. She understands what the important opportunity
that critical minerals represents for the state and the national economy in relation to the downstream processing and the
value added in terms of those products and the increase in value of
those exports. There is only one person in the entire country who does not get
that, and that is the federal Leader of the Opposition—the federal
leader of the member for Cottesloe's political party.
What is writ large about the Liberal
Party is that it is opposed to Western Australia's prosperity. It is
opposed to Western Australian jobs. It is opposed to Australia reaching the new
peak opportunity, which is critical minerals. We want to be a renewable energy
powerhouse, which requires the mining, processing, refining and production of
critical minerals that are part of the battery energy supply chain. We need
companies like BHP to stand up and be with us in this important area. We know
that BHP has benefited from extraordinary prosperity as a result of the support
of successive governments over many years and, of course, its own wit and
investments.
We
know that nickel, along with cobalt, copper, lithium, vanadium and magnesium,
will play an incredibly important part in not only our prosperity, but
also the prosperity of the world as it moves to a renewable energy future.
Madeleine King gets that, which is the reason we saw a production tax credit in
the federal budget. It will be an important part of not only incentivising
industries to invest to create great successful companies, but also making sure
that Australia plays its role of moving to a renewable energy future.
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