THE HON ANDREW HASTIE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR CANNING

STATEMENT
PM STEPS IN AS AYRES FAILS TOMAGO DEAL

Friday 31 July 2026

It seems Tim Ayres can’t be trusted to manage his own portfolio with the Prime Minister having to step in to negotiate a deal to save the Tomago Aluminium smelter.

For more than six months, the Industry Minister has failed to reach a financial agreement with his NSW counterparts to keep the smelter running beyond 2028.

While Tim Ayres lets the Prime Minister do the heavy lifting, the future of Tomago, and thousands of local jobs, remains uncertain.

This is another embarrassing blunder for the Minister who, in Estimates, was forced to admit that there was no money for Tomago in Labor’s Budget and no timeline for when support will be delivered.

The Minister is failing to fulfil the basic duties of his role. This is unacceptable.

While the Albanese and Minns Labor governments bicker amongst themselves, Australia’s heavy industry continues to be put at risk.

[ENDS]