The Australian Aluminium Council has welcomed the inclusion of aluminium on the newly announced Strategic Materials List, which acknowledges that it is and will continue to be one of the most widely utilised commodities in the global net zero transition.
This significant recognition aligns Australia with its peers in Canada, the United States, and Europe, who have also classified bauxite (aluminium ore) and aluminium as critical. The World Bank and the International Energy Agency have also accepted aluminium as one of the most critical commodities for both clean energy technologies such as solar, batteries, and electric vehicles, as well as the creation of electricity networks, as well as broad strategic applications.
“The Council is pleased that the Australian Government has recognised that Australia’s integrated aluminium value chain is important — not only to our domestic needs, but also to meet global demand for aluminium,” Australian Aluminium Council CEO Marghanita Johnson said.
The Council urges the Australian Government to continue engaging with the aluminium sector on policy settings across its resources, climate, energy, industry, environmental, and trade portfolios.
“As the Australian Government considers the reform of its environmental approvals processes, it has never been more important to achieve the appropriate balance between the need for environmental rigour with timelines needed for the transition to a net zero economy. The industry is prepared to play our part and the Council calls for approvals requirements and timings that reflect the role these Strategic Materials play in helping Australia and the world meet its net zero ambitions,” Johnson stated.
“Under the right policy settings, the aluminium industry (bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting and downstream manufacturing) can continue to play a central role in Australia’s economy, national security and manufacturing of modern technologies. The industry will be able to continue to employ tens of thousands of Australians in high paying roles, while also meeting our domestic needs for aluminium and those of our strategic international partners in a changing geo-political landscape.”
The Council has released a framework outlining policy settings for sustainable industry, marking the first step in assigning aluminium priority status.
