Whyalla may make steel again one day. But years of uncertainty could still reshape the town

There is a shock reverberating through the regional South Australian town of Whyalla and its crisis-hit steelworks.

This week, administrators KordaMentha and SA Premier Peter Malinauskas jointly announced they would abandon all attempts to restart the steelworks’ blast furnace.

At least 500 workers will lose their jobs, along with 100 people employed through labour-hire arrangements.

The future of a further 200 “embedded contractors” remains uncertain.

To be clear, the closure of the blast furnace does not mean the end of the Whyalla steelworks.

Efforts remain underway to find a buyer.

While primary steelmaking will remain paused for an estimated two to four years , other operations such as mining and steel rolling will continue.

Still, the future of this town of more than 21,000 people – where 12.8% of the workforce work in iron smelting and steel manufacturing – has been abruptly thrown into limbo.

Often, when news like this breaks, we focus on the economic impacts and the immediate support needed for workers and their families.

That is important.

My research, however, has examined other Australian communities undergoing similar economic shocks.

It suggests disruption can extend well beyond jobs and income.

If we want to ensure a just transition for Whyalla, we should start preparing now.

Towns shaped by an industry The cessation of steelmaking in Whyalla is about more than lost jobs.