Australia's manganese smelter is closing.

The closure happened on Thursday, July 16, 2026.

The administrators could not find a buyer for the smelter in Bell Bay, Tasmania.

In short, the smelter is closing.

The administrators of the Liberty Bell Bay smelter ordered its closure.

The facility went into administration in March, and the buyer pulled out on Tuesday.

What's next?

Workers will learn about redundancies on Monday.

The administrators ordered the immediate closure of Australia's last manganese smelter.

The Liberty Bell Bay smelter was placed into administration in March this year.

One of the main financial backers pulled out last month.

The sale fell through this week.

The administrators said the consortium stopped pursuing the sale on Tuesday.

The difficulties were driven by economic challenges and a volatile global economy.

The employees were informed on Wednesday, and will be updated about redundancies next week.

The employees are being supported during this difficult period.

A small workforce will stay to safely close the site and meet environmental obligations.

It's a sad day for local communities.

The Tasmanian and federal governments said it's a sad day for the communities.

The smelter employs about 200 workers in northern Tasmania.

The governments are focused on supporting the workers and their families.

Both governments will provide immediate support to the workers.

The smelter faced months of uncertainty.

It's been a long period of uncertainty for the workers.

The previous owner placed it in limited operations in May last year.

Liberty Bell Bay is Australia's only manganese smelter.

The Tasmanian government provided a $20 million loan to purchase ore.

The company was placed into voluntary administration in March.

The state and federal governments contributed $9.6 million to pay the workers.

A preferred bidder was announced in May, but pulled out last month.

The sale has now fallen through.

The news was announced on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 11:04 am.

The news was updated on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 11:40 am.

See more ABC coverage.

Promotion

Hörübung