As a resident of Whyalla for three and a half years now (Originally from Melbourne) it's nice to see the confidence return within the town. It certainly didn't save itself, Mr Gupta did that, as he has in many other plants around the world, Motherwell etc. I've picked up work and contracts nobody wanted and Whyalla has been very good to me.

I'm from whyalla. And my family back in the 60s worked at whyalla steel when it was BHP.

i was born and raised in whyalla but for some god forsaken reason my mother decided we should move to port augusta. she'll come in on the weekend asking if we wanna go see the family and i look at her as if she had grown a second head.

I lived in this tough but fun town for 10 years (82-91) I took my English wife there to show her where I'd grown up in December 2014 and I got a feeling that the uncertainty that had plagued the town for many years regarding the steelworks had taken its toll on the people. I live in Brisbane now and anytime Whyalla is mentioned on tv i would have this sick feeling of "well this is it... the death roll" I want this town to prosper SO BADLY. It really deserves to have its time in the sun

My uncle worked in the Whyalla steel plant sometime during the late 70's or early 80's. He told me about the conditions and lifestyle there during that time. I lived in Adelaide for two years and never visited Whyalla, only seeing it in the distance across from Port Pirie.

This is a true Australian hero. Good on you Sanjeev!

as an engineer who has worked at the steelworks , and was born in whyalla- this video is absolute cringe. i interviewed for a role there again in around 2012 and was absolutely floored at the state of the steelworks. after the tour of the site, i had decided i didnt want to work there again. id be very surprised if the site has been cleaned up and made a future prospect, as opposed to being saved. the last time i was there, the place was not inclusive at all, it was clique and had a load of small town issues like tradie monopoly and overpriced goods and services. couple that with steelworks nepitism and an inability to be flexible by relying on a single business for its survival, the town has been surpassed by time, in my opinion. And its not alone. The town an hour away also relied heavily on one industry, but not as much as whyalla did/does, as it was geographically positioned better. Mr. Gupta is showing that businesses dont need to chase huge returns, and dont need to have increasing targets each year to be successful. When you make a small amount on massive throughput, you make big $. If only companies like the banks, coles and woolies would do the same. they wont and they havent. its going to end up raping this country. it already is. As Dick Smith has been saying for 20 years now, its unsustainable. The difference is that Mr.Gupta is a single person answerable to himself. The others are boards who are owned by creditors.

This guy is a hero, people from the town were hopeless. They have tried harder but wasn’t enough. We have seen many company keep closing down and the government can’t help them, but only wanting High taxes... and no one comes up with the solution or strategy. Holden closure I still got a wound in my soul

I hope that once things get back on track that their wage gets reinstated back to their original amount. Good on ya Sanjeev for taking it on though.

I moved to Whyalla for 6 months last year and I loved it so much I’m moving back permanently tomorrow. It would be shocking if the whole town shut down overnight. Onesteel is the heart and soul of Whyalla and something needs to happen so we don’t lose it

I so love to hear that pride in a person.

Oh God I must be getting old. Our family moved to Whyalla because, as a builder, my father helped build BHP. I always thought so much more could be done with that city. It didn't have much in the way of entertainment... The drive-in, pool, skating rink, pony club and mini gold on the foreshore was about it.

i grew up there until i had to move to Victoria in 2019 and my dad used to work there to and it feels weird seeing a video of my childhood home

He is humble person , most aussies when they start making a few quid they get big headed , his grounded , a successful persons trait, his a billionaire and yet he opened his home to accomodate his fellow workers at his place , he said it right my challenges dont end, ill make it work.and move on

You might want to fix that little glitch at the 10:35 mark. You can see the unblurred phone details.

I recently moved to Whyalla and I tell people from Adelaide that the locals support the steel industry one syringe at a time lol

Good to get all this background

I used to work in Whyalla BOS plant and left after 3years for another job. Overseas steel from China, India and Korea was slowly coming into Australia at reduced price. Hope Sanjeev can save the steelworks and turn it around. But as I said if you make steel your market must be nearby. At the moment lots of overseas steel coming in cheaply. So the whyalla operation must be lean and efficient.

I lived there for 3 years in the 90's......

Good to see a whole community rallying behind a person and a person (with profits in mind) still have the courage to pick up a down plant. I honestly feel the decision by employees to take a paycut has put confidence in the investor. ALL ARE HEROS HERE. WAY TO GO MATES - ALL THE VERY VERY VERY TO THE POWER OF INFINITY BEST

Be interesting to know how much of cut adminstration got to their pay while workers copped 10%

Having family that worked in BHP back in the town it was all built on migration - thank goodness community was alive & well in those days - ppl had jobs, it was living in the 70s, you could leave your house without looking the doors!! Ppl had a genuine desire to build community.... The good old days!!!

You see stuff like this is the reason why I don't want to buy a house and be tied down to one place , If I get made redundant or there`s better job opportunities Somewhere else . I could move in a heartbeat and take advantage of the situation .

Steel works are big as here my dad being the saftey boss he hears about all the stuff that’s happened there’s been a lot of times it’s almost fallen

I visited Whyalla around a year ago... I would say it is the end of the earth

good onem👏👏👏👍

I live in Whyalla

I live in the main city of Croatia and would like to move and live here , be a part of the community and do commercial and recreational diving services in the future.

this story make no sense to me ,why did the Idian guy know what to do and Arium did not ,and why didn't the town buy the steel works at pennies to the dollar after letting it run down ?

been on the Housing Trust waiting list for 20 years got a place in Whyalla I've been here for four years and I have to leave because of the drug addict neighbours who keeps robbing me. and the housing trust run by Katharine who forges documents couldn't care less

No, it didn't save itself. The local economy is still crap. Gupta has major financial problems and the steelworks will not expand. There is still major unemployment.

So thats why you cant get a job at onesteel any job that douse pop up goes to a family member

No automation..??

Will the workers get a 10% pay rise as soon as the steelworks is functioning well again?

So many ghost towns...oil and gas gets pumped wherever....but water ?....it's left to gush to the sea.

08/09/1982 Australian Womens Weekly ....... "Meanwhile on the trail of Aileen Ekblom (Whyalla's Town Mayor).... She's keeping tabs on industrial and cultural pursuits in the region while she cooks for her cats, friends and husband who's on leave from BHP" And you wonder Whyalla 's future was to be very dark indeed when you had clowns like this and many others running the town.

How does Mr Gupta make money in steel mills/towns where dozens oj others have failed, This question has been raised in the UK over the last 10 years eg in this film John Collingridge Sunday Times, There seems to be no satisfactory answer, I have NO agenda/theory/vested interest, Can someone recommend well researched articles/books on this puzzle, Please NO theories or guesses, I hope Whyalla thrives for evermore

It’s a bold move considering the decline of steel making in Western nations. Here’s hoping that Donald Trump’s attempt to rejuvenate US steel manufacturing by imposing import tariffs doesn’t trigger a trade war that will threaten Sanjeev Gupta’s vision for Whyalla. So many regional Australian towns face economic uncertainty and it would be heartening to witness a success.

steel

The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Surely he can give back their 10% pay cut since he's a billionaire, I mean thats just pocket change.

No boom still the same

It's another Tokoroa . . .

How about the government CREATING money to let the workers have a part of the company ? After all they bring considerable sacrifices AND have a strategic interest to hold the company there.

shututp

Thanks to the indian dude

People from Whyalla should not be allowed to leave Whyalla.

This, 'documentary', is just propaganda !!! A great disappointment ABC!!!.