Bell Bay Aluminium cuts up to 10 roles a month after A$200m rescue

The Examiner reports it is understood up to 10 roles have been affected, and that some former participants in the Bell Bay Aluminium graduate program are among them. It also reports the total number of full-time equivalent employees at the smelter is expected to stay at about 550, and that some redeployment options will be available.

Rio Tinto told the paper it was reviewing operational needs at the smelter as part of a regular planning cycle. A spokesperson said a small number of roles were expected to be affected and added: “We recognise this may be a difficult time for those directly affected, as well as their families and colleagues.”

The numbers

The Examiner puts the affected roles at up to 10, against a workforce it says will remain at about 550 full-time equivalents. That is roughly 2 per cent of the headcount at most, on the paper’s own figures.

The rescue package is A$200 million, announced on 1 October 2026 by the federal and state governments, according to the same report.

What’s next

Bell Bay Advanced Manufacturing Zone chief executive Susie Bower told the Examiner her understanding was that the smelter had completed a review and identified some positions no longer required. She said none of the affected roles were frontline and that she was not concerned, given the timing of the review and the government support.

Bower also said the Northern Employment and Business Hub could connect any person made redundant with other work in the region.

The Examiner does not say when the redundancies take effect, how many people have accepted them or which parts of the smelter are affected.

Related: our earlier report on the Bell Bay data centre.

The Australian Developer