Consultations open for Critical Minerals List update

The Federal Government is calling for industry input as it looks to update the Critical Minerals List by the end of this year.

The current list, as of March 2022, includes 26 minerals, with this year’s update aiming to prioritise support for critical minerals projects that drive priority technologies and contribute to the Critical Minerals Strategy that was released last month.

Federal Resources and Northern Australia Minister Madeleine King says updating the Critical Minerals List will ensure the Federal Government can support the industry’s development and help Australia to work with international partners to build stronger global supply chains.

“Reviewing and updating our Critical Minerals List will help Australia capitalise on our amazing potential to create new industries and new jobs around our rich geological endowment and build on our record as a stable and reliable resources and energy exporter,” she said.

“Building a strong and reliable critical minerals sector will help Australia and the world achieve net zero emissions, while creating thousands of new jobs and supporting economic growth for decades to come.

“The path to net zero runs through Australia’s resources sector.”

Australia is the world’s largest producer of lithium, the third largest producer of cobalt and fourth largest producer of rare earths, with significant amounts of nickel and copper too.

This consultation process aims to establish Australia as a global supplier of raw and processed critical minerals by 2030.

The issues paper, and information on how to lodge a submission, is available through the Federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources consultation hub at https://consult.industry.gov.au/updating-australias-critical-minerals-list-issues-paper.

Responses are due by 17 August 2023.