Last week federal Illawarra MPs, Stephen Jones and Sharon Bird, wrote to Prime Minister Abbott about actions that could be taken to help save the steel industry and deal with the Illawarra Jobs crisis.

Today, we have written again to the new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, urging him to act on the issues affecting workers and their families in the Illawarra and to help save steelmaking in the Illawarra, Sharon Bird, Federal Member for Cunningham said.

Last week, Industry Minister MacFarlane, visited the region and chaired a summit where local steelworkers, contractors were promised:

We have to get the sign-off from my Prime Minister, but the region can be confident that we are going to make sure that we assist both the immediate issues in terms of the potential job losses at BlueScope but also put in place programs thatll last.

Ian Macfarlane, Illawarra Mercury, 7 September 2015

There are 9,500 people unemployed in the region, and while the Liberals have been fighting over their own jobs in Canberra, theyve forgotten about saving the steel industry and acting on the Illawarra jobs crisis, Stephen Jones, federal Member for Throsby, said.

Theyre focussed on the wrong jobs their own.

Labor is focussed on fighting for our steel industry, were fighting for local jobs, and were fighting for our region.

While the Liberals are playing musical chairs in Canberra, our local workers need some certainty and they need to know what this Government plans to do to help them and their families. The region cant afford any delays while the Government deals with its internal chaos. We need immediate and decisive action now, Sharon Bird said.

The Labor Members said they will continue to pressure the government to take action on the proposals put forward by State and Federal Labor MPs and all locals who participated in the roundtable last week.