Steely resolve amid smelter fears
Workers rally in George Town on Monday.
By Rachel Williams
Hopes are high that a Federal-State Government funding package will be secured before this Friday’s day of reckoning for Liberty Bell Bay workers.
North East residents are among those facing the prospect of losing their job at the smelter if a deal isn’t struck.
Liberty Bell Bay entered administration last month and money to pay wages has run out. Workers had until COB Thursday, April 23, to decide between redundancies or to take leave without pay.
A rally was held in George Town on Monday and the administrator Ernst and Young was confident it could find a buyer and hopefully retain the 210-strong workforce before jobs were lost.
But as we went to print on Tuesday night, time was rapidly running out and workers like Mikayla Binns were feeling very uncertain about their future.
“There are at least 10 or so North East residents impacted by the uncertainty,” Ms Binns said.
“It’s pretty horrible to say the least. It’s been a very stressful time to not know what’s going on.”
The State Government has developed a support package proposal which the Federal Government has been asked to urgently co-fund.
Energy Minister and Windermere MLC Nick Duigan said positive discussions were being had.
“We would like to see this smelter continue into the future. We know it is a viable business and continues to be a viable business,” Mr Duigan said.
“We would see a role for a Federal government to partner with us to support the administration to keep the workforce intact and allow the company to be sold and ultimately restarted.”
Liberty Bell Bay (LBB) has not been in production since early June 2025.
“It’s been pretty slow for the last year or so and we have really been sitting around not knowing our future,” Ms Binns said
“We have been told there are potential buyers coming through so that is a good sign I suppose, but I am really uncertain at the moment and that is the stressful thing for the community because George Town is built upon that kind of industry at Bell Bay.”
Ms Binns is a fourth-year apprentice as a boiler maker and said she was “technically nearly finished” her training so would be well placed to find another job if she had to.
“I am not in as bad a position as some of the other apprentices here,” she said.
“The unions are still fighting for a different outcome and for government support so it doesn’t come to leave without pay or a redundancy. It’s concerning because there are bills to pay and you need keep your financial status.
“A lot of the older workers who have been here a long time said it’s the worst case it has been over the years.”
Bass Labor MHR Jess Teesdale said working families have been let down.
“I am speaking every single day with my Federal and State colleagues, always advocating for a solution that protects local jobs and give workers the certainty they deserve,” Ms Teesdale said.
“The administrators, funded by White Oak, are moving through a rapid sales process.
“It is critical that the Liberty Bell Bay workforce is recognised for what it is – a core part of the value of this facility and treated accordingly throughout this process.”
Liberal Senator Wendy Askew said Ms Teesdale was failing to secure funding.
“Why are jobs in South Australia, at Whyalla Steelworks, which the Prime Minister visited only recently, worth saving, while the jobs in Tasmania are expendable?
“This decision will have devastating local consequences in Tasmania, let alone the national consequences of exposing us to global supply shocks. Liberty Bell Bay is Australia’s last manganese smelter, and its loss will be significant for our country.”
Tasmanian deputy opposition leader Janie Finlay said there were serious concerns about the mental health impact on everyone involved.
“There is clear overwhelm in the community. It is important that people are cared for in every way possible
with support to manage and understand their immediate financial commitments, and access to counsellors if they are feeling extra mental health pressures,” she said.
Local suppliers are owed millions of dollars collectively as creditors.