LNP MP Andrew Wilcox (the member for Dawson for those playing at home) asks Pat Conroy:

Can the minister confirm that Whyalla, Mount Isa and Tasmania are all either under administration, in crisis talks or are seeking government bailouts and the cost of energy is the reason for this.

Conroy says:

I thank them member to his question which is about the future of manufacturing in his country and the future of smelters. As we’ve said in this place many times, the sustainability of our domestic minerals and minerals processing capability is vital to our national interest and that is why we are backing jobs, backing manufacturing and backing heavy industry. Now, the member also talked about energy. Obviously energy is a critical part of the mix and that is why we are investing records amounts in renewing our energy grid, backing renewable energy which is the cheapest form of new energy as well as improving reliability. I stood with the Prime Minister and other ministers when we backed Aussie industry with new investment in energy. The truth is, Mr Speaker, the Coalition had a chance to fix these issues but they left us with a graveyard of discarded energy policies, by my last count, 23. We are getting on with fixing the job by taking a considered approach and ministers as in the other place is working very hard in at this. We’ve put aside funding for smelters, we’ve put aside hunting for the Green Iron Fund, we have put aside $300 million for aluminium to help with their energy transition. There is more to do, Mr Speaker, but the truth is, we’re not going to cop attacks from the other side who sat on their hands for nine long years and did nothing about it.