In an opening address at the annual Australian Steel Institute (ASI) convention earlier this week, Federal Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic has told his audience that renewable energy will create a suite of new opportunities for Australian-made steel.

Speaking at Melbourne’s Sofitel Hotel on 11 September, Husic claims that steel will play a role in furthering advanced manufacturing, renewable energy and reducing emissions via producing a number of renewable energy sources, namely wind turbines.

“We want to be a country that makes things. Australian-made steel will play a vital role in that vision. The net result is higher paid jobs and greater prosperity for Australians everywhere,” he says

Husic says the entire steel industry is crucial to the nation’s economy, employing 140,000 people and generating $30 billion in annual revenue. 

“I am the son of a metal worker and I know how important steel is to the nation,” he says.

“Important as the industry is today, it can be bigger and better.”

The Albanese Government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund will boost local steel jobs at a time when the nation is looking to pivot towards renewables.

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