Climate 200-backed candidate in SA Anita Kuss accused of ‘lying’ about Liberal plans for Whyalla steelworks

A Climate 200-backed candidate in SA, Anita Kuss, has been accused of falsely implying to voters a Dutton government could withdraw support for the $2.4bn Whyalla steelworks rescue.

Independent candidate for Grey in SA, Anita Kuss, is distributing electoral material saying voters in Whyalla should be wary of the Coalition’s plans for the embattled steelworks. She has refused to withdraw her warning. Picture: Mark Thomas

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A Climate 200-backed candidate has been condemned by the Liberals for falsely telling voters that a Dutton government could withdraw bipartisan support for the $2.4bn rescue package for the Whyalla steelworks.

Anita Kuss is running as an independent for South Australia’s Far North seat of Grey with a significant but unspecified level of financial support from the Climate 200 group.

Ms Kuss is running a high-profile campaign and has enraged the Liberals by distributing electoral material claiming federal support for the Whyalla steelworks could be abandoned in the event of a Coalition victory.

This is despite the fact that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton immediately promised ongoing bipartisan support for the joint rescue package announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas on February 20.

The legislation empowering the SA government to put GFG Alliance subsidiary OneSteel into the hands of administrators was also passed with the full support of the SA Liberal opposition.

The only issues the Coalition have raised are to rule out the commonwealth taking an equity stake in the steelworks and to oppose the further pursuit of green hydrogen in Whyalla following the decisions of Fortescue, Woodside, Origin and the Queensland government to mothball similar hydrogen projects.

Even the SA Labor government has cast doubt on hydrogen’s future by shifting millions out of its so-called Hydrogen Jobs Plan to fund the package propping up the ailing steelworks.

Despite all this, Ms Kuss is distributing electoral material across the seat of Grey saying voters in Whyalla should be wary of the Coalition’s plans.

“Whyalla needs a secure future,” her material reads. “But we’ve seen government promises before. We need to fight to get them fully delivered.

“With no guarantee of who will be the next prime minister, and with the real prospect of the Liberal Party withdrawing their support, we need an independent who can hold either side to account and help Whyalla release its full potential.”

While historically a safe Liberal seat currently held by 10.7 per cent, the battle in Grey has been muddied by the retirement from politics of the well-regarded veteran Rohan Ramsey, who has held the seat since 2007.

In his final statement as the local MP, Mr Ramsey has taken aim at Ms Kuss with a fiery post on his electoral website accusing her of “lying” to voters about the Coalition’s steelworks policy.

“I have spoken to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton who has categorically assured me the Coalition remains committed to working with the state government to support measures necessary to deliver a long-term outcome for the steelworks and securing a new owner,” he said.

“This is a completely false allegation, when the package was announced Peter Dutton came out immediately and backed the deal and remains fully committed.

“I am shocked that a candidate whose own social media is proclaiming herself as honest and trustworthy has fundamentally failed her own standard at the first opportunity. Anita Kuss knows me well. She has my number and chose not to call me to check the veracity of these lies which I suspect were fed to her by her Climate 200 backers.”

Ms Kuss is refusing to withdraw the allegation, and referred The Australian to a statement she made last week about the future of the Upper Spencer Gulf where she says the commonwealth must take an equity stake in the steelworks to ensure it survives.

“The Upper Spencer Gulf has a long and proud industrial history and is key to our nation’s manufacturing and minerals processing future,” she said. “ … for too long we’ve been stuck in a cycle of uncertainty, with our steelworks in Whyalla and smelter in Port Pirie in turmoil.

“We’ve seen time and time again the local impact of decisions made by big companies based overseas, the short-term crisis responses by government and our communities left feeling like they are nothing more than collateral damage. It’s been happening for decades and we’re seeing that play out yet again.

“We can’t keep doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different result. Our communities deserve better.

“I’m calling on both major parties to step up and not only secure our nation’s industrial and manufacturing future, but to finally break the cycle of uncertainty and support the communities of the Upper Spencer Gulf to grow and flourish for the long-term.”

Climate 200 ducked the issue of her comments with a spokesman saying only: “Climate 200 has made no comments on the Liberal position on the Whyalla steelworks.”

The Liberals are hoping to be represented in Grey by farmer and economist Tom Venning, a fifth-generation local whose uncle Ivan Venning was a long-serving SA state Liberal MP.

Mr Venning said he strongly rejected the Climate 200 attacks on the Coalition’s policies for Whyalla.

“The Whyalla Steelworks is a pillar of Australia’s industrial sector, providing essential steel production for our nation and supporting thousands of jobs and businesses in SA,” he said.

“The Coalition recognises the need to provide stability and the necessary support, in the short and long term. The people of Whyalla, and indeed all Australians, deserve certainty in relation to the Whyalla Steelworks.

“That is why a Dutton Liberal government will continue to work with the SA government to support the administration, including ongoing operations, of the steelworks and support eligible business creditors that remain out of pocket for debts owed during the administration period.”

Mr Venning said the only point of difference with the Coalition was that it did not support the baseless pursuit of green hydrogen projects and believed nuclear should be added to the energy mix.

“Many major hydrogen projects in Australia and across the world have been abandoned, shelved or dramatically scaled back due to high costs, uncertainty and lack of commercial viability,” he said.

“The Coalition has made it clear that a long-term transformation of the Whyalla Steelworks requires a balanced mix of reliable energy sources including natural gas and eventually zero emissions nuclear.”

With Ms Kuss’s candidacy for the Teals, Labor is effectively running dead in Grey and only announced Whyalla local Karin Bolton as its candidate on April 4.