The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has announced it will welcome the impending release of the Federal Government’s updated Critical Minerals Strategy.
An Opposition proposal to expand the list to include aluminium, alumina, bauxite, nickel, copper, zinc, potash and phosphate has also been supported.
“Critical minerals is the buzz term around the world at the moment, and for good reason because they are essential to the development of modern, low-emissions economies,” QRC chief executive officer Ian Macfarlane said.
“Although there’s not one globally agreed list of critical minerals, the Australian and Queensland Governments have been working over several years to create a priority list of minerals for exploration and investment.
Macfarlane said that the country has opportunities to mine, process, use and export the critical minerals that will support decarbonisation.
“The Australian Government is preparing to release an updated Critical Minerals Strategy to consolidate previous versions of the strategy and build upon almost $50 million in grant announcements made by Resources Minister Madeleine King under the Critical Minerals Development Program,” he said.
“There is strong global competition for investment in critical minerals projects and processing capacity and Australia will see the best results and create the most jobs when there is bipartisan support at a federal level and when the Australian and Queensland Governments work together on an aligned strategy.
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the QRC joined an Australian Government critical minerals delegation to the US because we recognised how crucial these minerals were to Australia’s and the world’s transition to net-zero.
“We urge the Australian and Queensland Governments to continue this momentum.”