Rio Tinto has announced that its Gove alumina refinery in the Northern Territory will be closed by July next year.
The company on Thursday briefed 1400 refinery employees on the timeline for the shutdown. More than 1000 jobs will go when the refinery closes
In a statement, federal Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said it would be business as usual at the refinery until February.
The ABC reports Rio Tinto will then start a planned and staged suspension of refinery operations until July.