It is designed to support the smelter for the next five years and secure its future into the 2030s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Ayres defended the package as a way to secure hundreds of jobs in northern Tasmania after the facility struggled with high electricity costs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when asked what Rio Tinto had actually committed to in return for the funding, the minister initially struggled to give a clear answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is 550 jobs, 1,000 indirect jobs in northern Tasmania,\u201d he told News24 on Friday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is important, it’s a smart deal, and it\u2019s shared between the Albanese government and the Tasmanian government on an equal basis to make sure that these facilities continue to operate into the 2030s.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Bell Bay smelter directly employs about 550 people and produces around 190,000 tonnes of aluminium each year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the minister took a step back when News24 host Laura Jayes repeatedly asked whether Rio Tinto was required to maintain those 550 jobs as part of the deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, there is minimum guaranteed employment that goes through the whole package. The minimum, I think it has different numbers in different years,\u201d Mr Ayres said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pressed on whether the number would remain at 550, the minister did not provide a figure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not going to stay at that 550 level, is it?\u201d Ms Jayes asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Ayres responded: \u201cIt\u2019ll be close to that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The minister was then asked whether the company could \u201cturn around tomorrow and sack anyone\u201d despite receiving the government funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, of course they have to manage the business,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"With](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/744d375897e047a1b9581d598994bde6.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Pressed again on the minimum employment standard, Mr Ayres eventually said the guarantee was around 500 jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a minimum standard, it hovers around the 500 mark, there’s more than 500 people there, those jobs are guaranteed,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He then shifted the focus to the wider purpose of the deal, arguing the Government was trying to protect Australia’s industrial capability while addressing the high cost of electricity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Ayres said the company still had to manage the facility, but the Government’s intervention was aimed at keeping production in Australia and securing the electricity supply needed by energy-intensive industries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Bell Bay package is the latest in a series of major taxpayer-backed deals involving aluminium and heavy industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n