Steel Industry Innovation Council

The Steel Industry Innovation Council wound up on the 31 December 2012.  However, the Department will continue its engagement with the steel industry including the Steel Supplier Advocate.  More information is available on the Steel Supplier Advocate page.

The following information is provided as part of the Council's historical record.

Established in recognition of the important part the Australian steel industry plays in the economy, the Steel Industry Innovation Council (the Council) worked closely with the Steel Supplier Advocate to maximise opportunities to participate in major national and international projects.

The Council’s key roles were to:

  • support the long term sustainability and competitiveness of the Australian steel industry
  • provide strategic advice to the Minister on steel industry matters
  • champion innovation within the Australian steel industry
  • promote improvements in the steel ‘value chain’.

The Council was announced by the Australian Government on 30 July 2009.

Membership of the Council

The appointments to the Steel Industry Innovation Council are now concluded.  The following is for historical record only.

The Council comprised leaders from the steel industry, unions and the research and academic sectors. Members were appointed by the portfolio minister. Members included:

 Dr Don Russell  (chair)

 Secretary, Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education

 Mr Paul O’Malley

 Managing Director and CEO, BlueScope Steel Ltd

 Mr Geoff Plummer 

 Managing Director and CEO, OneSteel Ltd

 Mr Paul Howes 

 National Secretary, Australian Workers' Union

 Mr Andrew Dettmer

 Acting National President, Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union

 Mr Don McDonald 

 CEO, Australian Steel Institute

 Dr Calum Drummond

 Group Executive, Manufacturing, Materials & Minerals, CSIRO

 Professor Lyndon Edwards 

 Head of Institute of Materials Engineering, Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation

 Professor Gerard Sutton AO 

 Advocate for the Illawara

To contact the Council:

Steel Secretariat
GPO Box 9839, Canberra ACT 2601
Ph: 61-2-6213 7909
Email: Steel.Council@innovation.gov.au