Australia’s biggest industrial players are focusing on climate solutions – why isn’t the political debate?

A reliable electricity supply is vital for an aluminium smelter given its equipment can quickly freeze in a blackout – and cost vast sums to fix or replace. Photograph: Joe Castro/AAP

One of the most striking statements on climate change during the election campaign has come from an unlikely source – the owner of the country’s most power-hungry industrial plant.

Tomago Aluminium, near Newcastle, consumes about 11% of all power generation in New South Wales. For years, its management has warned about the economic impact of policies to cut Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.