Australia should consider imposing a tariff on steel imports to support sovereign capability and protect jobs after the Whyalla Steelworks was placed into administration by the Malinauskas Labor government.

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson said with only one other steelworks operating in the country Whyalla’s woes should serve as a wake-up call about the threats to steelmaking in Australia, a critical sovereign capability.

“Australian manufacturing and sovereign capability is being crippled by record energy costs and undercut by cheaper imports,” Senator Hanson said. “This is certainly the case with steel. We imported about $1.6 billion worth of steel and iron in 2023, with China being the largest supplier.

“Bluescope – which operates the nation’s only other steelworks at Port Kembla – has only this week warned about the danger of cheap Chinese steel being dumped in Australia and other markets following the imposition of steel tariffs by the United States.

“Labor and the Coalition are committed to increasing Australia’s energy costs in their reckless obsession with net zero, so it’s not going to get any easier for manufacturing operations with large energy requirements. We need to protect them and the jobs they create, and one way to do that is with tariffs on cheaper imports.

“One Nation has never had a problem with imposing tariffs to protect Australian jobs, Australian industries and Australian sovereign capability. That’s because we put our country and its people first before any other consideration.

“South Australia used to be a manufacturing powerhouse – steel, cars, whitegoods, electronics – but there’s not much left now. If we’re not going to support Australian jobs, manufacturing and sovereign capability with policies that keep costs like energy lower, we need to look at tariffs.

“Plans for a hydrogen plant at Whyalla creating jobs are a pipedream. Hydrogen projects are being abandoned around Australia and the world, because they don’t stack up economically. Whyalla’s future relies on the steelworks and we must consider every option.”