Steel

Analysis and Comment (4)

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The closure of BlueScope’s no 6 Blast Furnace at Port Kembla was an acknowledgement that Australia simply cannot compete with our cheaper Asian rivals.

Glimmers of hope in the steel industry’s darkest hour

By Geoffrey Brooks, Swinburne University of Technology

The $1 billion dollar annual loss announced by BlueScope Steel confirmed what is common knowledge: the Australian steel industry is in crisis and fighting for survival. The latest statistics show that…
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We need a more intelligent discussion about how to use our finite carbon, and it needs to be about metal. AAP

Treasure your metal: why we need to respect embedded energy

By Geoffrey Brooks, Swinburne University of Technology

The recent furore about the carbon tax in this country has not been a celebration of enlightened debate. I think much of the debate misses a vital aspect of carbon use, namely, that using carbon to make…
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China will dominate global steel production, but Australia can have a future in high value steel making – if we don’t lose our nerve. AAP

Why Australia must forge a future in China’s Age of Steel

By Geoffrey Brooks, Swinburne University of Technology

Recently, I met a friend at a conference in Japan. My friend is a specialist in steelmaking technology and, after a long successful career in Japan, had taken up a position in a Chinese Steel company called…
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Iron ore is now Australia’s biggest export. AFP/CHRISTIAN SPROGOE RIO TINTO

The Boom: Iron ore and Australia

By Gavin Mudd, Monash University and Mohan Yellishetty, Monash University

Australia’s economic future lies underneath our feet. The island continent is blessed with a variety of natural resources but none as plentiful or important as iron ore. Iron is a common element in soils…

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