Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull jetted into Portland late on Thursday night, fuelling speculation an announcement about the future of the city’s troubled aluminium smelter would be made.
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Mr Turnbull’s visit to Portland, shrouded in secrecy, is the first by a sitting prime minister since former Wannon representative Malcolm Fraser.
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan was unable to confirm the purpose of the visit.
“To have the prime minister visit Portland in the south-west shows the importance that is being placed on our region,” he said.
“It will be the first prime minister to visit Portland since Malcolm Fraser was prime minister and it obviously shows how committed everyone is to our region.”
It is understood the visit relates to an imminent announcement about the future of the Alcoa-run smelter, which directly employs 600 people and indirectly employs thousands more.
Damage caused by a loss of power to one of the smelter’s potlines at the beginning of December was said to be costing $1 million a day, clouding the plant’s future.
The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape’s quest for UNESCO World Heritage listing could also be behind the visit.
An $8 million project to upgrade the significant site, which dates back 6600 years and contains evidence of a large, settled Aboriginal community, is being planned at the moment.
The last sitting prime minister to visit the south-west was Tony Abbott in July 2015.