By Peter Roberts Both major political parties should hang their heads in shame for allowing Australia’s value-adding manufacturing sector to sink to become such a small share of our economy. No single party is responsible for us being the least complex economy among advanced nations, however a special place is held by the Liberal-National coalition…
Critical minerals prospectus showcases 55 projects The federal government has launched a new digital Australian Critical Minerals Prospectus, showcasing more than 55 investment-ready projects to potential investors and buyers from around the world. The digital Prospectus features an interactive online map, shining a spotlight on all of the investment ready projects. The tool can be…
Arafura Rare Earths has secured conditional approval for up to US$115 million in loan guarantees from a German inter-ministerial committee – the final approval required to complete the senior debt structure for its giant Nolans rare earths project. Earlier this week the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) gave its conditional approval, with the latest approval…
The federal government has today released Australia’s first National Battery Strategy, supporting a Future Made in Australia as global demand for batteries is set to quadruple by 2030. According to a joint announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Industry Minister Ed Husi, the Strategy maps a path for Australia to take advantage of this…
By Peter Roberts Mining company Iluka Resources has awarded long lead procurement packages for key equipment for the company’s planned rare earths refinery at its Eneabba zircon mine in Western Australia – the first refinery for rare earths in Australia for the minerals used in high technology products. The company is procuring the roasting kiln,…
On Thursday in a speech in Brisbane Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed he would put to Parliament a bill for a Future Made in Australia Act which would respond to increasing global competition through more activist industry policy. Here is an edited transcript of his speech. We need to be clear-eyed about the economic realities…
A slump in prices for the critical mineral nickel – used in battery manufacture – has brought action from the federal and Western Australian governments. In the past few days federal Resources Minister Madeleine King placed nickel on the Critical Minerals List, giving nickel companies opportunity to access billions of dollars in Commonwealth funding. And…
The federal government has released an Australian Critical Minerals Prospectus which showcases 52 high-quality, investment ready critical minerals projects. Projects ripe for funding include mining, processing and value adding opportunities across the critical minerals supply chain, according to the prospectus. Australia’s critical mineral resources are considered vital in the global shift to green technology such…
Iluka reveals capital cost of rare earths refinery Perth minerals company Iluka Resources has revealed a $1.5 to $1.8 billion capital cost of Australia’s first integrated rare earths refinery for producing rare earths oxides at Eneabba in Western Australia. The estimate comes from Iluka and Fluor who are optimising the project and conducting FEED work.…
The Western Australian Government is refocusing the State’s activities in the rapidly evolving battery and critical minerals sector with the release of a new paper for public consultation. The state’s Battery and Critical Minerals Strategy opened for comment, aiming to build on successes already achieved by the increasingly lucrative industry. The state is already home…
