Gov launches expert panel to guide green metals growth

The Albanese government has unveiled a new Green Metals Advisory Panel to help the country’s metal manufacturers grow and decarbonise.

The panel is part of the government’s wider A Future Made in Australia initiative.

‘Green’ steel production involves making metal while reducing caron emissions, either by replacing coking coal with electricity, gas or hydrogen during production or replacing thermal coal-sourced electricity with other, lower or zero-emissions power sources.

The Australian government believes that by 2040, a green metals industry could deliver up to $122 billion a year to Australia’s economy, while reducing emissions by as much as 250 megatonnes.

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Federal Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic said Australia has a long history in metal manufacturing.

“Shifting to greener metals production provides an opportunity for a sustainable future, to continue that rich legacy,” he said.

“This Advisory Panel boasts impressive expertise and longstanding experience, helping guide Australia to capture the new jobs and export opportunities that come with greener metals manufacturing.

“Making more things here to create more jobs and grow businesses is what a Future Made in Australia is all about, that’s why we’re making the investments that back Australia’s manufacturers to turn that vision into a reality.”

The panel will comprise:

• Mark Cain, Chief Executive of the Australian Steel Institute
• Paul Farrow, National Secretary of the Australian Workers Union
• Paul Howes, National Managing Partner, KPMG
• Marghanita Johnson, CEO of the Australian Aluminium Council
• Steve Murphy, National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
• Jenny Selway, CEO of the Heavy Industry Low-Carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre
• Rebecca Tomkinson, CEO of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, Western Australia

The panel will support the government’s broader green metals consultation, providing independent advice to support the development of policy around green metals and industrial decarbonisation.

The panel will also help inform the Government’s Net Zero Industrial Plan to drive down emissions and support investment across the industrial sector.

Australian industry is already developing green metal’s potential, with miner Fortescue aiming to produce more than 1,500 tonnes per annum, with first production slated in 2025, while other miners are working to develop ‘near-zero emission-intensity’ pathways for making greener steel.