South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas expressed optimism about the continuation of steelmaking in his state following the announcement of a major blast furnace closure in Whyalla. He acknowledged the disappointment and sense of inevitability surrounding the news. Malinauskas highlighted that the Whyalla plant, with its over 60-year-old blast furnace, requires significant recapitalization to remain viable. He stated that the South Australian and federal governments are collaborating on a plan to achieve this, emphasizing the critical loss of national structural steel-making capacity if the plant closes. The premier strongly criticized comments made by Pauline Hanson, likening her political approach to "Americanizing" politics and fostering division. Malinauskas believes such divisive tactics are detrimental and distract from important national issues. He specifically disagreed with Hanson's approach while acknowledging Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's call for discussions on serious issues. The premier questioned why efforts to "close the gap" remain unsuccessful. He stressed the importance of focusing on Australia's strengths rather than resorting to what he described as "punching down." Malinauskas concluded that the current political discourse is "rotten," "awful," and "ugly."