Whyalla needs innovative thinking to be revived for nation

As a former mayor of Whyalla and manager of the BHP iron ore mines at Iron Knob, it has always been clear to me that iron ore has been the main cash generator for the operations. During the 1960s, high-grade iron ore was shipped to the booming Japanese steel industry and enabled the building of the integrated steelworks at Whyalla (“Electric arc furnace for Whyalla steelworks is ‘a moonshot’ ”, 22-23/2).

Since then, BHP has developed the West Australian iron ore mines and stopped the export of ore from Whyalla, but the local iron ore was delivered to the Whyalla steelworks at around a quarter of the market value and also shipped to Newcastle and Port Kembla, subsidising the steelworks operations.

Since taking control of Whyalla, Sanjeev Gupta has realised the cash returns from exporting the last of the hematite ore and much of the magnetite ore when prices were above $US100 a tonne. Whyalla now has no hematite ore left to export and the steelworks, if they are to continue, will need to operate on high-grade magnetite concentrate.

Whyalla does have a potential strategic advantage for a new industry. With deep mine pits at Iron Baron, in a dry, uninhabited area, with all infrastructure in place, Australia could develop high-grade nuclear waste storage facilities for the growing world nuclear industry, supported by the UN COP28. This would be a long-term investment that would provide a sustainable long-term future for the people of Whyalla.

Russell Reid, Newstead, Tas

The Australian government’s support of the troubled Whyalla steel does have some merit. The steelworks employs more than 1000 people, steel is a critical product and we are too dependent on China.

Whyalla produces 75 per cent of Australian structural steel. The South Australian government has been planning for green steel through its Hydrogen Jobs Plan consisting of 250MW electrolysers, a 200MW hydrogen power station and hydrogen storage.

It is envisaged that SA’s hydrogen facility will use excess renewable energy – generated by large-scale wind and solar farms – to produce renewable hydrogen.

Perhaps in a few years international companies will be buying Australian green steel from Whyalla. We won’t know if we don’t try, and we are well placed to succeed.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic

Trump no conservative

Paul Kelly underlines the importance of our culture and demonstrates that Trump is not a true conservative (“West on trial: it’s the culture, stupid”, 22-23/2). Conservatives believe in constitutional government and moral norms and the Judeo-Christian faith based on service to the poor and the stranger.

Trump does not believe in any of this. In fact, he is attempting to dismantle the bedrock of what we know as Western culture. Being anti-left without a positive vision for our culture is no way to improve any nation, let alone make it great again.

You can’t make a nation great by tearing down the pillars that made our culture great in the first place. Conservatives can succeed only by keeping the West strong in the face of the growing threat to our culture from Russia and China.

David Muir, Indooroopilly, Qld

Medicare vote monster

Don’t you love it when Jim Chalmers tells us “you can’t trust Dutton with Medicare”? Here’s the man whose boss, Anthony Albanese, made all sorts of big promises in the 2022 election campaign but has not delivered on most if not all of these (“Chalmers: you trust Dutton with Medicare”, 22-23/2).

Labor is pulling the old Medicare vote monster out of the cupboard yet again to spook people into believing it will all be undone under a Coalition government. The Treasurer knows full well no government will ever roll back Medicare. It’s very much part of our way of life and our wellbeing. Tweak it they may, but this is something that must occur from time to time to get a bigger bang for the taxpayer buck.

We can expect more of this nonsense as the federal election draws nearer. But let’s just remember the failings of the Albanese government since it came to power; too many to mention.

John George, Terrigal, NSW

Boomer blame

It was so refreshing to read Janet Albrechtsen at the weekend (“Rekindling Reagan’s torch”, 22-23/2). Although I’m a war baby, I want to support the baby boomers who these days seem to be blamed for all Australia’s fads and woes. The boomers cannot be blamed for DEI, nor for being able to choose your own gender on your birth certificate and allowing men to compete in women’s sports.

Boomers can’t be blamed for flying three Australian flags or spurning phonics when teaching kids to read. It is younger generations who need to own these ills and not automatically blame everything on the baby boomers.

David Wilkins, Pyrmont, NSW