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Federal politics live: Bowen lashes Gupta over ‘mismanagement’ of Whyalla plantBy political reporter Courtney Gould
Posted Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:58amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:58amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:58amSkip to timeline
Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the former owner of the Whyalla steelworks let down South Australia with “mismanagement” of the plant.
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Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:14amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:14am
Ayres takes aim at GFG for leaving Whyalla’s blast furnace in ‘state of disrepair’
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By Courtney Gould
Industry Minister Tim Ayres has taken aim at the former owner of the Whyalla steelworks after it was confirmed hundred of workers will lose their jobs after the blast furnace was shut down.
The blast furnace has been offline since April. Workers have not been able to restart it.
Ayres tells ABC News Breakfast it was left in a terrible state of disrepair.
“The finger of blame here should be pointed squarely at GFG for their maladministration and underinvestment in this blast furnace,” he says.
Ayres pushed back at criticism from the Coalition the closure was a result of an energy failure by the federal government.
“It is just not remotely the reason why this blast furnace has failed. The blast furnace failed because the foreign owner … deliberately didn’t invest in the capability of the blast furnace,” he says.
The South Australian government wrested control of the steelworks from Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG alliance in early 2025. The federal and state governments have injected funds to keep it going while an administrator prepares it for sale.
Ayres says there are two bidders in the process to takeover.
Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:12amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:12am
AFP commissioner blasts Australia’s ‘voracious consumption’ of illicit drugs
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By Tom Lowrey
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett has taken aim at Australians paying “absurd” amounts for illicit drugs, arguing it is fuelling a deadly wave of shootings linked to organised crime.
Sydney has been grappling with a wave of shootings linked to organised crime in the city, including a number of cases of apparent mistaken identity.
In an opinion piece circulated to media outlets, Commissioner Barrett argues it is time for a “renewed conversation” about drugs and links to organised crime.
“At its core, we are battling a demand issue — and that is Australia’s voracious consumption of illicit drugs,” she wrote
“These shootings and violence are often the result of organised crime groups onshore or overseas fighting for dominance and power because of the obscene profits they are making from illicit drugs in Australia.
“They are rolling in dirty cash and they are willing to kill each other and anyone who gets in the way.”
Barrett says she is not criticising any particular individuals, policies or decisions, but argues the “first line of defence” should be educating Australians about the harms of illicit drugs.
And she points to other measures the AFP is looking to bolster, including seeking prosecutions of organised crime figures abroad, and preventing illicit drugs from leaving their source countries.
Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:05amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:05am
Albanese speaks to the king
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By Courtney Gould
Anthony Albanese has shared that he spoke to King Charles last night.
“A privilege to speak with His Majesty King Charles III this evening,” the prime minister wrote on social media.
“His affection for the Australian people remains strong. I extended Australia’s best wishes to His Majesty and the Royal Family.”
Loading Twitter contentTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:03amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:03am
One Nation will follow ‘will of the people’ over economist warnings on migration: Joyce
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By Jake Evans
One Nation is “not afraid” to drive migration to negative levels, with its Treasury spokesman saying he will follow the will of the people, not warnings from economists in deciding how deeply to cut migration rates.
Business and the university sector have warned One Nation’s proposal to cut migration by about 750,000 places over three years would devastate the economy.
Speaking on ABC National Forum, Barnaby Joyce said voter concerns on migration had to be respected.
“The will of the Australian people is so pronounced, this has to be dealt with, we will deal with it,” Joyce said.
Read our recap of last night’s National Forum at the link below, or click here if you’d like to catch up on iView.
Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:00amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:00am
Bowen heading to Saudi Arabia in bid to secure fuel supply
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By Paul Johnson
Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will head to Saudi Arabia next week in a bid to shore up Australia’s fuel supply.
Bowen told 7.30 on Monday night that Australia had 41 days’ worth of petrol available but added that he remained deeply concerned by the squeeze on oil in the Middle East, caused in part by the Iran war.
“The pipeline that runs through Saudi Arabia is responsible for about 4 per cent of the world’s oil supply,” Bowen said.
“The straits of Bab al-Mandab being constrained is very difficult.
“That’s one of the straits that has replaced the Straits of Hormuz as one of the key areas to get fuel out of Saudi Arabia.
“I will be travelling to Saudi Arabia next week for direct meetings with my counterpart, the energy minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, to get direct from him the situation, because … getting the best information about the state of the pipeline, when it will return to more normal levels, what the approach of the Saudi Arabian government is will be key for ensuring that fuel security over coming weeks and months.”
Key Event
Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:51amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:51am
‘Deeply disturbing day’: Bowen lashes Gupta over Whyalla
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By Paul Johnson
Chris Bowen has labelled the announcement of hundreds of job losses at Whyalla as ‘deeply disturbing’ during a Monday night appearance on 7.30.
Bowen said former owner Sanjeev Gupta had “let South Australians down” with “mismanagement” of the plant.
Asked if he still believed in the future of green hydrogen, he said it had been slower to roll out than he had hoped.
“Green hydrogen … does still have a future both in Australia and in the world, but it has proven slower to roll out than was predicted globally and in Australia, say three or four years ago,” Bowen said.
“It’s … being developed by Orica at Kooragang Island in Newcastle, big investment by them with our support, so it does have a role to play both in decarbonising, getting heavy industry off gas, but it’s been slower and more expensive that hasn’t come down the cost curve as quickly for a whole bunch of reasons globally as was hoped a few years ago.”
Bowen then said despite that, green hydrogen was “not dead” and has “a role to play … including creating jobs in Australia”.
Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:46amTue 15 Sep 2026 at 6:46am
Good morning 👋
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By Courtney Gould
Hi friends. Welcome to our politics live blog. I’m Courtney Gould from the ABC’s Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day.
From One Nation’s migration policy to her comments on Indigenous Australians, Pauline Hanson was the focal point of yesterday. Expect there to be more reaction today to both stories.
The government and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas will also be responding to the job losses as a result of the closure of the blast furnace at the Whyalla steelworks.
Parliament wont sit until midday today, as the parties gather for their usual meetings. Until then, I’m sure a fair few of them will be popping up this morning in the media.
The sun is up and so am I. Let’s get blogging!
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