Smelters were established by the Broken Hill mining companies in 1915. They previously exported metal concentrates to Belgium and Germany for smelting, but of course could not do that once the war started. It became the biggest lead smelter in the world, a great source of pride for Australia. The environmental management in those days was not as it is today. Lead poisoning was worse in the mines themselves. I was paid a "lead bonus" as compensation for working in that environment, I think that bonus had been negotiated by the unions in 1923.