WA Labor ‘failed’ Goldfields community over Nickel West decision, Liberal candidate Rowena Olsen says

The WA Labor Government has “failed” the people of the Goldfields, according to the Liberal candidate for Kalgoorlie, who said the suspension of the WA Nickel business would be devastating for the region. The decision announced on Thursday means BHP will place its WA nickel facilities into care and maintenance as the Nickel West business is “temporarily” suspended from October until at least February 2027. The decision comes after BHP revealed in February it was considering shuttering the WA Nickel West operations due to cheap Indonesian nickel pushing prices down. The WA Liberal candidate for Kalgoorlie Rowena Olsen said the decision — which will see the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter close its operation — would have significant ongoing effects on the region. “It’s absolutely devastating for the Goldfields community, it’s such a sad day today for a lot of these families to have this news and process it overnight,” she told the Kalgoorlie Miner on Friday. “The impact that it will have on a regional community is catastrophic, not only have these people lost their jobs, but they may consider leaving the region, and once people leave a region, they generally don’t come back. “There will just be huge flow-on effects for our community that will be felt for years to come.” Ms Olsen said the situation reflected the WA Labor Government’s lack of action to provide energy security. “It is the government’s responsibility to provide security for energy and our future and especially in this carbon transition,” she said. “They have really failed West Australians today, but not only have they failed West Australians, they failed the Goldfields as a lot of these families will be lost to our region and that’s just truly, absolutely devastating. “I don’t think people consider that human side when business decisions are made. “This Labor government need to consider very carefully the next steps for energy security and the security of all West Australians and, in particular, those right now feeling this change, this devastating change in the Goldfields.” Liberal Mining and Pastoral Region MLC Neil Thomson said the Labor government had let the region down. “My heart goes out to all the workers and families who have been badly let down by both the State and Federal Labor governments,” he said. “Families will rightly feel angered after the hollow words of the Premier and Treasurer on February 17 this year when they said the nickel industry was ‘an essential component of the State’s vision of becoming a global hub for the downstream processing of battery metals. “It’s such a sad time for all involved and my office will do everything it can to assist those affected,” he said.