Resources and mining ministers from federal, state, and territory have agreed to collaborate to assist in developing Australia’s critical minerals sector.
Resources and Northern Australia Minister Madeleine King hosted the ministerial roundtable in Perth on Friday, 24 March.
Minister King stated that developing the critical minerals sector was a national goal that was critical if Australia was to help the world reduce emissions and achieve net zero obligations.
“This was the first ministerial roundtable since 2020, and over the past three years global demand for Australia’s critical minerals has increased dramatically,” Minister King said.
According to Minister King, ministers agreed that developing Australia’s critical minerals industry is a national priority that will provide new economic opportunities, particularly in regional Australia, and will aid in the production of materials needed to reduce emissions in Australia and around the world.
Minister King added that Australia requires huge quantities of critical minerals for net-zero technologies such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, battery storage, and solar panels.
“The road to global net zero passes through Australia’s resources industry and our emerging critical minerals sector,” the Minister stated.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world has to rapidly create safe and resilient supply chains for critical minerals to meet global demand for low-emissions technology.
Minister King stated that the ministerial roundtable examined how governments could assist the growth of Australia’s critical minerals sector by ensuring projects are authorised on time while also guaranteeing stringent environmental and community protections.
Ministers also emphasised the significance of implementing policies to stimulate investment in critical minerals and processing infrastructure and the necessity for more exploration and development of common user infrastructure.
Minister King added that the ministerial roundtable would be held monthly to stimulate collaboration, growth, and investment in the critical minerals industry.
The Australian Government is working on a new Critical Minerals Strategy, which will be released in late 2023. Minister King said the ministerial roundtable provided an opportunity to ensure that the new plan incorporates professional perspectives and information from all Australian states and territories.
Ministers from the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia joined Minister King at the roundtable. Ministers from Victoria and New South Wales were not present due to unavailability and the ongoing state election campaign, respectively.
