South Australia’s Premier Peter Malinauskas indicated a taxpayer funded rescue of Sanjeev Gupta’s Whyalla steelworks is doubtful because the SA and federal governments did not want that money propping up foreign parts of the global steel operation.

Losses are mounting at the steelworks, about 380 kilometres north of Adelaide, with a temporary shutdown of the blast furnace running into its fifth week because of “impurities” preventing it operating.