JEREMY ROCKCLIFF, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Alright, well, thanks very much for being here. And can I thank very much Federal Minister Tim Ayres for coming to Tasmania, right here in George Town, in industrial area, but an area that values Liberty Bell Bay and all the small businesses, medium businesses and large businesses associated with Liberty Bell Bay, particularly the workers and their families. So, thank you very much, Tim, for your interest in securing the workers’ future. I want to thank Jess Teesdale as well, local member and Bridget Archer, local state member as well. 

Can I begin by saying how difficult this time has been for the workers, their families, small businesses, and the broader George Town and Northern Tasmanian community. These have been unsettling times for the past 12 months when it comes to the future of Liberty Bell Bay. When it comes to Liberty Bell Bay, in full operation, we are talking about the flow on effects of around 850 jobs. We're talking about a $350 million injection into the Tasmanian economy, and we are talking about families, people's livelihoods, and that degree, high degree of uncertainty, must be enormously unsettling for many people living within this region. That's why it's important that local, in this case, State and Federal governments as well, work together, not only to secure the future of workers, their families and the local community, but also secure our sovereign capability when it comes to this only manganese smelter in the country as well. 

I've been really pleased with the engagement we've had from the Federal Government, in particular Minister Ayres, who I've met with on a number of occasions, and indeed I've spoken to the Prime Minister earlier last week and just yesterday, about our shared commitment to do what is absolutely possible to secure the future of Liberty Bell Bay. 

There is no doubt that when it comes to the supply power agreement secured in February 2025 – when it comes to the secure ore that we secured for the plant, for GFG that we've been let down by GFG and the owners. What has always been our commitment, though, is to see the future of Liberty Bell Bay and give it the best possible chance. And that's why today, we are providing some surety in terms of wages for, initially, the next three weeks; a shared commitment of $3 million between State and Federal Governments to allow us the time, and the administrators the time to focus on a potential buyer and buyers to secure the objective of an entity purchasing Liberty Bell Bay and giving it the best possible chance of survival and the best possible chance of ensuring that workers and their families can continue to live and enjoy this fantastic part of the world, securing the workforce at Liberty Bell Bay. With those few words, a little more than a few, I'll hand over to the Federal Minister now. Thank you. Tim.

SENATOR TIM AYRES, MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND INNOVATION, MINISTER FOR SCIENCE: Thanks Jeremy. I want to say a couple of things about today's announcement. Firstly, it has been absolutely crucial to getting to the point that we're in today that the Federal Government and Premier Rockcliff's Government have worked together closely, not just over the last few weeks, but over the course of the last 10 or 11 months, watching the progress at this facility very carefully. Local members, Jess Teesdale and Bridget Archer, at the Commonwealth and State level, are working closely with their governments, representing their communities, trade unions, the local community, the local business community, all pointed in the same direction, securing the future of this industrial asset for Tasmania and for Australia. That's the way that governments should work together. 

One of the confounding elements of the circumstances that the George Town and Bell Bay communities have had to face is that this is a facility that is an efficient facility. It is a facility with markets, with customers who want to buy its product. It runs in a productive and cooperative way. It secures Australian manganese ore and turns it into manganese products for the steel industry, particularly here in Australia, but also with our friends and partners in the United States.

What has happened here, though, is that the owner of the facility has run it down and has not discharged their responsibilities as an industrial owner in any way that is in the interest of the facility or their commercial interest, or indeed the interest of Tasmania and the local workforce. This is a good facility, and what the Premier of Tasmania and the Commonwealth Government are doing here is intervening to support those workers who have done so much in the facility itself, but during the administration as well, and over the last six or seven really difficult months, have done so much to try and put this facility into the right position.

We are two Governments putting our shoulders behind the wheel for those workers and trying to make sure that they are supported through the administration process. But also that we give this, what I think is a top-shelf Australian industrial facility, the best chance of a successful sale, because the way that we secure the future of Liberty Bell Bay is by making sure that there's a transition to a responsible owner who acts in the best interest of the region, of Tasmania, and of Australia. That's what we want to see. And this is not the end of the process. This is a good step. It supports workers and their families. It supports local businesses. But we will be working hard together, with the administrator and with the business community, to do everything that we can to support a successful transition to a new owner who actually does the right thing by workers and by the community. Happy to take questions for either of us. 

JOURNALIST: Why has it taken so long for this package to be put together? Workers have been waiting quite some time.

AYRES: The administration is a recent development, and it is a complex and difficult process to work through. It is unusual for governments to step in in the way that the two Governments have stepped in here, that is an extraordinary development, but we have made the decision to do that and work carefully with the administrators behind the scenes, not making public commitments or public announcements, but working carefully with the administrators to achieve this outcome. It is a good outcome. It does mean payroll has been made, that there will be no stand downs of workers that were likely to occur over the next 36 to 48 hours, so the two Governments have stepped in at the right time. I appreciate, though it is really difficult and really uncertain circumstances where both Jeremy and I wish that it was different, that people weren't in this uncertain position. But we are two Governments dealing with the cards that we've been dealt. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, with respect, the smelter hasn't been in operation since last year. You know, the idea that this sort of snuck up and wasn't expected, I guess I'm not, sort of, buying. It hasn't been in operation. It then went into administration, so it wasn't making money, and workers, as recently as yesterday, are telling me that their mental health is in the tank, are in the trenches actually, because they haven't been given the support by their State and Federal Government. So, going back to my colleague's question here, why has it taken so long, and do you owe the workers an apology for leaving it so long and letting it get to this stage? 

AYRES: This facility has been owned by an industrial conglomerate that has – I’ll choose my words carefully – not behaved in the best interests of the facility. That is what has happened here. It is not open to either the State or the Federal government when the owner is behaving in the way that that owner has, in a practical way, to provide support. That is not possible or desirable for that to happen. 

What is required here is a new owner. That is what's in the interests of Tasmania and the interests of this community. Now, the administration is an opportunity for that to occur. The administration has been going for a short time. Workers' wages have been paid. The facility is furloughed. There is no real activity happening there, and the Federal and State Government is stepping in now to secure workers’ wages as the first stage of this sale process is undertaken. That is the right thing to do. 

It was not open to the governments to solve this problem up until now. We have been very focused on these issues. Very good engagement between the Commonwealth and State Governments. Nobody has been sitting on their hands here. Everybody has been focused on achieving the right outcome for this community, and it is a good outcome that we're moving forward to securing workers’ wages over the coming weeks. But there is not a guaranteed outcome here. It depends upon a successful sale. 

JOURNALIST How long will that take do you think? 

AYRES: I'd like to see this business in new ownership tomorrow. We'll work with the administrators to make sure that they are driving a practical sale process that is as rapid as possible. They have legal obligations here that they must discharge, of course, in an administration process. But there are no guarantees – that’s the point that I want to be really frank with you and with the community here. The best outcome is a successful sale, but that is a commercial process that the administrators are running. 

What the Premier and I are announcing today is that the two Governments are working together to make sure that we drive the best possible chance of a successful sale, and the best possible chance of that is an industrial facility that comes with an active and ready workforce who are ready to start on day one. This delivers that, but it also means that we're supporting workers through that process and appreciate all the uncertainty that has been absolutely evident every time I have come to this part of Tasmania. I've met with workers last year about these issues, been engaged with the trade unions and the local members who represent these communities, and discussing these issues, of course, with Jeremy as we've gone. This is not the end of the process. There is still quite some way to go. 

JOURNALIST: If there's no sale in three weeks, will the support be extended?

ROCKCLIFF: As Tim has said, we need to give the sale process the best possible chance, and that is why we are announcing today that $3 million support, and over the course of the next three weeks, the administrators will be tasked with their job, working with potential buyers. And hopefully, at the end of that outcome, securing a buyer for the future of the plant. And of course, we'll always be there, doing the best we possibly can when it comes to supporting that process. 

JOURNALIST: Can you give some indication of what the long-term planning is? I mean, this is a three-week package. Administrators and the unions have indicated it could take as long as six weeks. So, there's a three-week funding gap there, potentially. How are you going to give workers the security that they need if a sale doesn't go through in the next three weeks, that there will still be continued support? 

ROCKCLIFF: Thanks very much for the question. I appreciate it, and I appreciate the fact that you have reflected, well, the anxiety amongst the community here and the workers and their families. We feel that, and that's why we've been working hard behind the scenes, of course, to ensure that we secure the future of Liberty Bell Bay. And again, I want to thank all the workers and the unions and everyone that's pitched in to ensure that the feelings of the workforce and their families are at the forefront and ensure that they’re strong advocates. We're here today to with a support package that we've announced, which is a very good, strong show of support that not only do we believe in the future of this smelter, but also we want to assure the workers and their families and the small businesses in this community that were in their corner. 

JOURNALIST: Can you tell us how much the State and Federal Government have contributed to this? 

ROCKCLIFF: It's a $3 million support package of which goes 50/50.

JOURNALIST: How many workers does it support primarily?

ROCKCLIFF: Well, the existing workforce to ensure that the workforce is maintained as much as possible. Because any potential buyer, as you would appreciate, would like an ongoing workforce from which to build the smelter up. 

JOURNALIST: So Premier, sorry, just to clarify, in three weeks’ time, in mid-May, when this support package finishes up, there's no plans at this stage for the last three weeks of what could be workers without pay. 

ROCKCLIFF: Well, we'll continue communicating with the administrator and indeed the workforce. We've demonstrated today that we're in their corner. We will continue to be so and will allow that administrators to do their job and work solidly to ensure that a buyer is found, which is the outcome that we seek. 

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible question].

ROCKCLIFF: Yes, I do very strongly. And can I just go back and say that we secured a long-term power agreement with the owners back in February 2025. Now the owners have let us down big time, and that's an absolute understatement, and they've deserted this community. They deserted the workforce and showed absolute disrespect for Tasmania, for Northern Tasmania and the workers because in good faith, we secured $20 million of ore to ensure, hopefully, that that could be utilised for the continuation of the plant. Now we have that ore that can be utilised, and should a buyer be found and a sale proceed, then, of course, that all can be utilised. But every step of the way, including today, is a very strong indication that State and Federal Government are serious about sovereign capability when it comes to manganese and importantly, most importantly, workers and their families.

JOURNALIST: Will you sell the stockpile to the new owner. Is that how it'll work? 

ROCKCLIFF: We'll work with any potential new owner to ensure that we secure the future of the plant. I'm not going to negotiate with the new owners yet in a media conference with the greatest respect, Nick. But can I say the ore is there to be used in the smelter.

JOURNALIST: I received a text message yesterday from a worker. I'm going to need to remove the expletives in the text message. But basically, they say, together with the feds, they don't care. Nor the state, I can see someone flipping out soon. I know you said, no one’s been sitting on their hands, but it certainly has that appearance. Why has it taken so long? And do you guys owe an apology to the workers for letting it get to a point where they were meant to decide at 5pm yesterday they were accepting redundancies or a pay offer that had to get pushed back because there was no deal on the table from you guys? Do you guys owe an apology to them? 

AYRES: The people who are responsible for the position that workers are in are the previous owners of the facility. That is the truth of it, and it is the role of Governments here with a large industrial facility that does have real economic value, and as the Premier said, strategic value to try and do what it is that we can do to secure a new owner and to back workers in that process. The steps that have been undertaken, even while the last owner was in place, as the Premier has indicated, competitive electricity power purchasing agreements, securing ore in a circumstance where the previous owner did not have the confidence of the miner to pay its bills. Every step that's being undertaken to secure the future of this facility that reasonably could be undertaken has happened. 

JOURNALIST: From a federal perspective, have you guys dropped the man to boot? As I said, there are workers who are telling me that the Federal Government, they don't feel like, has showed up when they should, and so the question from you as their Minister is, do you owe them an apology for letting it get to a point where they had to decide on their futures yesterday? I mean, I know it's been pushed back two days down the deadline, but they had to decide if they're accepting redundancies or termination. Do you guys owe them an apology? 

AYRES: The person who owes them an apology is the owner of the facility, or the previous owner of the facility. That's the truth of this. It's Government's role here to step in. We have in a way that maximizes the chance, not just in the short term, which is, people have got to make decisions about their jobs. People want to see payrolls come in on time. We've watched as every pay cycle has gone the high levels of uncertainty over the last six or seven months about pay, whether the pay would actually get made. That is the truth of this. 

This has been a very unpleasant, destabilising, unsettling process, not just for individual workers and their families, but of course, that's reflected through the whole community. We are stepping in here to make sure that this process doesn't fall over at the last moment because pay can't be made. It's the right thing to do. We'll be working closely with the administrator over the coming weeks, and we're doing everything that we can to keep the pressure on the process so that we get to a sale to a credible owner as quickly as possible. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, if an overseas buyer is the one that buys it, what do you do about the Foreign Investment Review Board process? Do you waive that? 

AYRES: All of these processes will be being worked through in the event that it's an owner who triggers the Foreign Investment Review Board processes. That is a normal thing to go through. It will be taken into account in the sale process. We would welcome Australian or responsible overseas owners and overseas investment in this facility. That is absolutely in the interests of the industry and in the interest of Tasmania. 

JOURNALIST: This question could be for either for you or the Premier. Businesses who support Liberty Bell Bay, around $10 million is owed to them in total. What sort of support packages? I know it's not a normal practice for the taxpayer to bankroll these businesses, but what sort of support packages, if any, are being looked at? I mean, some of these companies have already had to let off their own staff. Is anything being looked into that? 

AYRES: The truth is that bad corporate behavior has corrosive consequences in the community. Investments that should have occurred haven't occurred. Bills that should have been paid haven't been paid. That has an impact on engineering businesses and all sorts of businesses through the supply chain. The person who is squarely responsible for all of those debts that have been incurred, for letting down this community, is the bloke who ran GFG. Mr. Gupta has some responsibility here, and he has let this community down. Now the best outcome here is to see a new owner who takes responsibility in the way that a normal owner of an industrial facility might. 

JOURNALIST: Are you aware by any other facilities in Australia, given the way he's treated Australian workers consistently?

AYRES: I have never met with Mr. Gupta. I'm engaged with responsible business owners and responsible industrial facilities all around Australia, securing investment in new facilities and backing in current foundational facilities. Right around the country. Here in Tasmania, with the Nyrstar operation in Hobart, in South Australia at Whyalla, at the former GFG facilities, in Port Pirie in South Australia, in the various aluminuim facilities around the country, including the Boyne Smelter in Gladstone, the Mount Isa copper smelter. This is a Government that has been moving steadily through, supporting foundational industrial activity. We're looking for responsible owners to work with, and I don't think GFG is on that list.

JOURNALIST: Premier, this company hadn't reported to ASIC for five years. Was the due diligence done before you loaned them 20 million?

ROCKCLIFF: Look again. And firstly, can I say that I've never doubted the personal commitment from the Federal Minister Tim Ayres to this workforce in Northern Tasmania. We've been meeting consistently with the objective in mind of ensuring that all our major industrials have a secure as future as possible. And in this case, Liberty Bell Bay. Look, we need to ensure that every step of the way, the best interest in maintaining this facility is given the best possible chance. That's why we chose to invest in the ore to give it the best possible chance. And I recognise, of course, the anxiety and justifiable anxiety within the community. But every step of the way, our objective of both State and Federal Governments has been to secure the future of this plant and the workforce and give it the best possible shot. 

JOURNALIST: Just on Bristol prison, there is a family of inmates at Brisbane, who we're protesting outside the facility last night, claiming inmates have been in lockdown for 14 days. 

ROCKCLIFF: Look, I'll have to get some information on that. 

JOURNALIST: Some claim they have not had any access to medical treatment, rehab or contact with the family outside. Is that ever acceptable?

ROCKCLIFF: I'm not aware of the circumstances, happy to provide comment when I'm aware of the circumstances.

JOURNALIST: TAS TAFE, how is the future of the workforce meant to be trained?

ROCKCLIFF: Well, can I say this very clearly, we continue to invest in TAS TAFE, our public training provider, as I said for seven years as education minister, is essential in maintaining and increasing the workforce for what is a $30 billion pipeline of infrastructure investment. That's why we've continued to invest in operational investment, recurrent expenditure, and that's why we've continued and actually increased investment when it comes to upgrading training facilities across the state, whether you're talking about nurses, trades, whatever it might be. We have continually invested in infrastructure when it comes to our public training provider, TAS TAFE, and will continue to do so. 

JOURNALIST: Any update on negotiations in relation to greyhounds with Mr Harris?

ROCKCLIFF: Look, I welcome Mr Harris' commitment to ending phasing out greyhound racing in Tasmania. We have a $4.8 million compensation, a transition package, on the table, and are open for further discussions. 

JOURNALIST: Are you being briefed about the NDIS changes. Can you tell us what that means for Tasmanians?

ROCKCLIFF: I'm yet to be brief fully on the NDIS changes, except to say that the NDIS was set up with very good intent and very good purpose, and that purpose must be maintained. What is important in terms of the NDIS is the integrity of that key investment and support goes to the people across this country that need it most

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]

ROCKCLIFF: Well, I'll be in Beaconsfield today meeting with a number of small to medium businesses, and so I will reflect on that question and say to you very clearly that it is a time that I knew exactly where I was when I was looking at that whole mine disaster unfold. Let's not forget there was a person that lost their life in that mining tragedy, and two people were saved, and one person died, and I think of that, and I think of the families, and I also think of the extraordinary effort that was made by workers, rescuers, SES personnel, to save two very valuable lives.

ENDS.