The Commonwealth and NSW governments have struck a $2.5 billion deal with Rio Tinto to keep Tomago Aluminium running beyond 2028. It protects 1,000 direct smelter jobs and thousands more across the region. Tomago Aluminium has committed to invest at least $1.1 billion back into the site. The deal also underpins close to 3GW of new renewable generation and firming capacity.
Hunter Jobs Alliance coordinator Justin Page said the agreement ends years of uncertainty for thousands of workers. “Public money should never be a blank cheque to a multinational company. But this isn’t a blank cheque,” he said. This is backing an industrial future for the Hunter, and it’s the standard HJA will keep pushing for.