A huge win at Tomago smelter!

After months of uncertainty, the long-term future of Tomago Aluminium has finally been secured.

The agreement reached by the Albanese and Minns Governments will secure reliable power for the smelter through to 2038, protecting more than 1,000 direct jobs and thousands more across the Hunter. Tomago will also invest at least $1.1 billion in the smelter through to 2038.

For the workers and families who have spent months wondering what the future might hold, this announcement is an enormous relief.

AWU officials and Tomago members celebrate

Throughout this campaign, our Tomago delegates have been outstanding. They have stood up for their workmates, spoken publicly about what was at stake and shouldered the concerns of the workforce through months of uncertainty.

The entire Tomago workforce also deserves enormous credit. They have carried an incredible burden while continuing to turn up, work safely, support each other and produce the aluminium Australia relies on.

The Hunter has a proud manufacturing history, built by generations of skilled workers. We have the workforce, the infrastructure and the capability right here to make the products Australia needs.

Tomago began producing aluminium in 1983. At around 43 years old, it remains one of Australia’s newest aluminium smelters. It holds decades of investment, more than 1,000 highly skilled workers and around 37 per cent of Australia’s aluminium production. Allowing that capability to disappear was simply never an option.

Australia needs to be able to make things here. It is time we reinvest in NSW’s heavy industry. Aluminium is critical to construction, transport, defence, energy and countless other industries. Maintaining our capacity to produce aluminium locally is crucial for our national sovereignty.