Elizabeth Thurbon

Elizabeth Thurbon is Professor of International Political Economy, Deputy Head of School and Director of Research in the School of Social Sciences at UNSW Sydney. She is also Director of the Green Energy Statecraft Project, a collaborative initiative between UNSW Sydney, the University of Melbourne and the University of Sydney.

Recent articles by Elizabeth Thurbon

The key to saving Whyalla and seizing massive national security rewards? A clean commodities trading company

The key to saving Whyalla and seizing massive national security rewards? A clean commodities trading company

The Albanese government’s decision to partner with South Australia to save the Whyalla Steelworks is one of profound significance for Australia’s national security. The governments’ vision — to turn Whyalla into a pioneering green iron and steel facility and capture global first-mover advantage — is hugely ambitious. Done right it has the potential to boost Australia’s economic, energy, environmental, social and military security simultaneously. This could be a game-changer for Australia’s sovereign industrial capability and future export competitiveness in an increasingly uncertain geostrategic environment.

Urgent case for statecraft on green iron and steel to secure Australia's future prosperity

Urgent case for statecraft on green iron and steel to secure Australia's future prosperity

A handful of years ago, South Australia’s Whyalla steelworks, owned by British industrialist Sanjeeev Gupta, was touted as the potential birthplace of an Australian green iron and steel industry. Today, the mounting crisis at Whyalla brings sharply into focus both the risks and opportunities of this pivotal moment in Australia’s energy transition, and the transition of the global steelmaking industry more broadly.