Our city is not even mentioned in a consultation paper released last week by the government to assess future port options for South Australia.

This is despite the Port Pirie Regional Council meeting as recently as Friday, February 3, in the city with representatives of Flinders Ports to discuss the huge harbour development.

The project would create many jobs and revive the prospects of our port.

Under the plan, export facilities for 20 million tonnes of ore yearly would be created.

This is many times greater than the ill-fated WPG Resources project’s target of about 3.5 million tonnes of iron ore.

The failure to rate a mention in the consultation paper is a swipe at Flinders Ports which operates seven of the eight ports in the State.

The council’s leaders are furious at the snub. Our local government is talking to Flinders Ports and other companies at the “grassroots” level while the government is considered to be “dictating” from North Terrace.

The consultation paper concentrates on three ports – Port Bonython, near Whyalla, Sheep Hill, also on the Eyre Peninsula, and, apparently, Myponie Point, near Wallaroo.

“Read between the lines,” said one identity familiar with the situation.

“They are discouraging the development of any other port, that is Port Pirie. It is a big worry.”