Australia's aluminium sector is on life support. It can and should be saved | Simon Holmes à Court

Technology and leadership could save thousands of jobs and accelerate Australia's energy transition

The Australian aluminium smelting sector is crawling through a dark tunnel. Looking far behind, it can just make out the starting point - cheap hydroelectricity. A short distance back lies the remains of competitively priced power from what were once young, government-owned coal power stations. Today it's inching forward, choking on its own emissions and struggling under the weight of uncompetitive prices arising from a decade of politicised mismanagement.

The sector is faltering, threatening the livelihoods of thousands of workers and their families.