MINERAL INDUSTRIES – GOVERNMENT POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Miners call for critical minerals aid

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Original article by Peter Ker, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 15 : 23-Jan-24

Shares in Liontown Resources fell almost 22 per cent on Monday after its lending syndicate announced it would withdraw a $760 million it had offered as recently as October. It was prompted by a forecast by commodities’ agency Wood Mackenzie that the price of lithium would remain at around $US950 a tonne until 2028, with Liontown seeking to develop the Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia. Liontown MD Tony Ottaviano says $US950 a tonne is "a very, very low price", while federal Resources Minister Catherine King and WA Mines Minister David Michael are to hold crisis talks with nickel and lithium producers.

CORPORATES
LIONTOWN RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX LTR, WOOD MACKENZIE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY

Protect critical minerals: Lynas

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Original article by Matt Bell
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 5-Dec-23

Lynas Rare Earths CEO Amanda Lacaze says Australia should not give up control of its mineral firms, particularly those involved in the supply of critical minerals. She was speaking at the Australian British Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Rare Earth and Lithium – The Australian Advantage’ event, while Pilbara Minerals CEO Dale Henderson told the event that the recent decision by the US Department of Energy to bar lithium companies with substantial Chinese ownership from getting access to US grants was "not good news".

CORPORATES
LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC, AUSTRALIAN-BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF ENERGY

Foreign investment urgent for critical minerals: King

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 15-Nov-23

Resources Minister Madeleine King will use a speech at a rare earth conference to emphasis the strategic importance of Australia’s critical minerals to global supply chains and the energy transition. She will also stress the need for foreign investment in the nation’s rare earths and critical minerals sector. The federal government recently announced plans to increase funding for its Critical Minerals Facility to $4bn, as part of its strategy to reduce global reliance on China for minerals such as lithium and cobalt.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES

$2b boost for critical minerals

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Original article by Andrew Tillett, Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 25-Oct-23

The federal government initially allocated $2bn to its Critical Minerals Facility when it was announced earlier in 2023. However, this will be increased to $4bn as part of measures to be announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during his official visit to the US. Albanese said critical minerals and rare earths are the ‘building blocks’ of a clean energy future, adding that Australia is committed to building sustainable and secure critical minerals supply chains with the US. The two nations aim to reduce global reliance on China for the processing of critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

We could lose the race on critical minerals

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 6-Sep-23

Lynas Rare Earths has received a $US258m ($404m) grant from the Biden administration to build a heavy rare earths refinery in Texas. It will be the first facility of its kind outside of China, and will process material from Lynas’s Mt Weld mine in Western Australia. However, although the federal government has allocated some funding to Australia’s burgeoning critical minerals industry, its strategy for the sector seems to be based primarily on local companies gaining access to funding from the US. Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has used a Minerals Week speech in Canberra to call for greater action to capitalise on Australia’s competitive advantage in the criticals minerals sector.

CORPORATES
LYNAS RARE EARTHS LIMITED – ASX LYC,TESLA INCORPORATED

Industry chiefs lash critical minerals plan

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 16 : 21-Jun-23

Mineral Resources MD Chris Ellison has described the federal government’s critical minerals strategy as "empty rhetoric" and a "missed opportunity" to attract international investment in the commodities that will be essential to the energy transition. He contends that measures such as tax incentives, fast-tracked approvals and financial assistance are needed if the government is serious about competing with countries such as the US and its ­Inflation Reduction Act. Resources Minister Madeleine King says the critical minerals strategy is aimed at setting out a framework to allow the government to give targeted support to industry in the future.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESOURCES

Mining, defence top agenda on PM’s Perth visit

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 16-Mar-22

The federal government will provide four critical minerals projects with funding via its $1.3 billion modern manufacturing initiative. The $243m funding package will be announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison during his trip to Western Australia; the projects include a battery material refinery hub near Kalgoorlie and a rare earth separation plant in the Northern Territory. Industry Minister Angus Taylor says the government support is aimed at addressing China’s global dominance of critical minerals supply. Morrison has also announced a $4.3bn upgrade of the Henderson naval shipyards in WA.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, SCIENCE, ENERGY AND RESOURCES

Joint strategy with US on rare earths

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Original article by Geoff Chambers
The Australian – Page: 7 : 11-Oct-19

Resources Minister Matt Canavan has indicated that a joint strategy with the US regarding critical minerals such as rare earths will be finalised in coming weeks. He has stressed the need for co-operation between governments to ensure that new rare earths projects go ahead. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who is visiting Australia, has emphasised the importance of processing rather than merely mining rare earths. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the federal government wants processing of critical minerals to be undertaken in Australia.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC

Canavan seeks US funds to help develop rare earths resources

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 10-Oct-19

Resources Minister Matt Canavan has held talks with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross regarding co-operation in the development of critical minerals projects, including rare earths. Amongst other things, the federal government is looking at options such as providing funding for early-stage projects via Export Finance Australia and the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility. China is the world’s major producer of rare earths, accounting for about 80 per cent of global supply.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, ARAFURA RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX ARU, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY. UNITED STATES STUDIES CENTRE

US-Australia to secure rare earths

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Original article by Angus Grigg, Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 13-Jun-19

The US, Canada and Australia will co-operate in developing a strategy to reduce reliance on China for key minerals such as rare earths and lithium. Rare earths in particular are crucial in a range of technology, including defence systems, wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries. Meanwhile, Austrade has identified a list of Australia’s ‘critical’ mineral resources that could potentially be developed using offshore capital. The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility is also considering an investment in Arafura Resources’ proposed rare earths mine in the Northern Territory.

CORPORATES
AUSTRADE, NORTHERN AUSTRALIA INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY, ARAFURA RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX ARU, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF COMMERCE, CHINA. NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM COMMISSION, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT