Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon has called on the Industry Minister Kim Carr to visit the Illawarra and meet with the South Coast Labour Council to discuss support for the Green Jobs Illawarra Action Plan, following today’s announcement by BlueScope Steel that there will be a loss of about 800 direct jobs at its Port Kembla facility.

Blog post by Senator Lee Rhiannon

Last Saturday I visited Wollongong with Senator Bob Brown to meet with the South Coast Labour Council Executive about the federal government’s Steel Transformation Plan – the government’s plan for the steel industry in the wake of the Clean Energy Future Package.

The Steel Transformation Plan and the government’s plans for gaseous coal mines sit outside the Clean Energy Future Package and will be negotiated separately.

Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon will today join with the Secretary of the Newcastle Trades Hall Council Gary Kennedy and Newcastle City Greens Councillor Michael Osborne in backing the Carbon Price Package as good news for Hunter residents, jobs and the environment.

This Newcastle visit is the start of Senator Rhiannon's Carbon Price Package tour across NSW.

"The Hunter has always been the energy powerhouse of NSW and much of the national economy. The Carbon Price Package will enable the region to continue to play this role," Senator Rhiannon said.