PORT of Brisbane has welcomed the Queensland Government’s decision to grant Alter Steel’s planned $1 billion steel mill Priority Project status, recognising its economic and social significance to the state.
The mill at Pinkenba, within the Port of Brisbane industrial precinct, is progressing towards early works and is one of three investments totalling $1.9bn announced as receiving priority recognition by the government today [23 September]. The others are the Swanbank Steel Mill Project and Sims Metal Pinkenba Redevelopment Project.
Backed by Westview Group, Alter Steel says it is developing the Pinkenba mill to add Australian steelmaking to an established reinforcing steel supply chain that already services major construction projects across the country.
The mill is planned to produce approximately 500,000 tonnes of low embodied-carbon reinforcing steel each year, replacing a significant volume of steel currently imported into Australia.
Alter Steel entered into a non-binding MOU with Sims Limited in 2025 to establish a scrap supply and services agreement, under which Sims would exclusively supply up to 550,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap annually.
Combined with Westview Group's downstream reinforcing businesses, Bestbar Reinforcements and Wire Industries, the project brings together scrap supply, steelmaking, reinforcing processing and an established route to market, Alter says.
PoB CEO, Neil Stephens, said Alter Steel’s Pinkenba mill supported the port’s long-term plans: “Under our Vision 2060 we see the Port of Brisbane driving an agenda of modern infrastructure, seamless transport logistics, clean energy and future economic prosperity.
“The Alter Steel mill will be uniquely placed at the port to benefit from the precinct’s strong transport connectivity, and we continue to support the advancement of low emissions technology in the supply chain.”
The government says the projects represent a major opportunity to strengthen Queensland’s sovereign industrial capability and build a more integrated local supply chain that recovers, processes and reuses recycled metal in Queensland.
They would also help strengthen supply chain resilience and support domestic steel manufacturing at a time when Queensland imports a significant proportion of its reinforcing steel and other steel products from interstate and overseas suppliers.
In detail, the three projects include:
- The Alter Steel Mill Project – a proposed investment of $1.05 billion by Equest Steel Pty Ltd, to establish a steel recycling and manufacturing facility on a 23-hectare site at Pinkenba. The project is expected to create up to 600 construction jobs and 216 operational jobs.
- The Swanbank Steel Mill Project – a direct construction investment of $640 million by Future Forgeworks Pty Ltd to develop a new steel manufacturing facility within the NewGen Business Park industrial estate at Swanbank. The project is expected to create more than 400 construction jobs and up to 200 operational jobs.
- The proposed Sims Metal Pinkenba Redevelopment Project – an approximately $215 million investment by Sims in the staged redevelopment of its existing industrial waterfront site at Pinkenba into an integrated metal recycling, processing and logistics hub. The project is expected to support approximately 1,090 construction jobs and 140 operational jobs.
The prescribed project declarations enliven the Coordinator-General’s powers under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act (1971) to help streamline the rigorous approvals process.
Queensland Coordinator-General Gerard Coggan said the declarations would support a coordinated pathway through complex delivery interfaces.
“Our role is to provide a single point of whole-of-government coordination and support timely resolution of project-critical approvals and infrastructure interfaces,” Mr Coggan said.
“Prescribed Project status does not remove the need for statutory approvals, but it does provide a clear framework to help projects progress efficiently while maintaining all relevant assessment requirements.”