The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) has welcomed the Albanese Government’s recently announced $200 million grant to upgrade Australia’s steel industry and noted its significance in cementing the nation’s potential as a global green steel powerhouse.
The first round of the Powering the Regions Fund (PRF) has been awarded to BlueScope Steel Limited and Liberty Steel Australia.
A total of $136.8 million will go towards BlueScope, funding the company’s plan to upgrade its No.6 Blast Furnace at the Port Kembla Steelworks.
Liberty received $63.2 million, which it will use to purchase and commission a low-carbon electric arc furnace to replace its blast furnace at the Whyalla Steelworks.
AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow commended the grant funding, calling it “a testament to Australia’s readiness to embrace a clean steel future.”
“The AWU has long argued that Australia is ideally placed to become a global green steel powerhouse of the 21st century, but to realise that exciting future we need strategic investment today. Thankfully that’s what we’re finally seeing through the government’s Powering the Regions Fund,” said Farrow.
“This transition is more than just an environmental imperative; it’s an economic opportunity for Australia to become a leader in clean steel in Asia and globally.”
The projects at BlueScope and Liberty are not only expected to reduce emissions but to also create hundreds of jobs in Australia’s regions.
“We tend to hear a lot of doom and gloom about manufacturing in Australia, but the fact is the future looks extremely bright if we seize our opportunities.”
“This investment demonstrates the will of the government to help drive Australia’s growth into a clean steel future,” the AWU official said.
