South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has responded to fresh speculation about who could take over the Whyalla steelworks.
Speaking with Roo, Ditts and Loz, the Premier was asked about a rumour that leading contender to buy the steelworks and associated mines is M Resources founder Matt Latimore.
While he stopped short of confirming the claim, Malinauskas did reveal how the bidding process has narrowed.
“Here’s what I can say publicly… there were 70 people who expressed interest from the start to take over the steelworks and the mines. That went down to a shortlist of 12.”
“We’ve now kicked out seven of those 12 which leaves us with five remaining bidders.”
When pressed specifically on M Resources, the Premier declined to confirm whether the company is among the final five.
“In respect to M Resources, I’m not at liberty to publicly declare that M Resources is one of those five. But what I would say is they are a major mining enterprise that is Australian-owned. They have significant mining interests up and down the east coast and have a proven track record of being able to invest in businesses and build them up.”
The identities of the remaining bidders have not been publicly disclosed.
Hear the full exchange with Roo, Ditts and Loz below