Alcoa has made the commercial decision to fully curtail production at the Kwinana alumina refinery in the second quarter of 2024, on the basis of the facility’s age, scale and operating costs — as well as market conditions.
The facility will remain in care and maintenance for the foreseeable future, with Alcoa’s port facilities at Kwinana to continue to operate to support the company’s existing operations in Wagerup and Pinjarra.
The decision is expected to impact around 800 employees and 250 contractors.
Alcoa’s other Western Australian operations are unaffected and will continue to employ around 4000 people in the South West and Peel regions.
The WA government stated that support will be provided to affected workers into jobs, or to upskill and reskill so they can take advantage of new opportunities.
WA Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk said: “Our Jobs and Skills Centres offer free services for jobseekers, from job-matching to training and career advice — and we have specialist local staff on standby to assist displaced workers.
“My message to affected employees is to take advantage of the help on offer — there have never been more opportunities to upskill, reskill, or forge a new career path.”
Rockingham Jobs and Skills Centre is ready to work with Alcoa to match affected staff with employers in Kwinana and surrounding areas.
In addition, a dedicated team at South Metropolitan TAFE is on standby to support displaced workers with tailored free career and training advice.
In consultation with Alcoa, the state government will also explore additional support options for staff, including establishing a temporary Jobs and Skills Centre onsite at Kwinana.
The WA government will provide more opportunities for people to upskill or train for new careers.
More than 130 TAFE qualifications and short courses will be free in 2024.
WA Premier Roger Cook stated that the state government will continue to work with Alcoa to ensure its other operations in Western Australia support local jobs into the future.