Australia: Updated Critical Minerals Strategy Showcases 94 Investment-Ready Projects
The Australian government has updated its Critical Minerals Strategy and released a new investment prospectus showcasing 94 advanced, investment-ready critical minerals projects nationwide, 29 more than in February, comprising 58 upstream mining projects and 36 midstream processing projects.
Resources Minister Madeleine King said Australia holds some of the world's richest deposits of critical minerals and rare earths, many still undeveloped, while global demand for lithium, rare earths, vanadium and antimony, essential for batteries, defence equipment and clean-energy technology, is growing fast. Trade Minister Don Farrell said the prospectus presents investors with opportunities across the full supply chain, from mine to processing.
Support measures include the legislated $17.5 billion Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive, a refundable tax offset of 10 percent of eligible processing costs from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2040; a $1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve; the Critical Minerals Facility expanded from $2 billion to $5 billion; and more than $3 billion in Export Finance Australia commitments to five projects.
The government said critical minerals are already a major source of exports and jobs, and that its strategy aims to make Australia a reliable supplier positioned further downstream in global supply chains.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 照片：澳大利亚Greenbushes锂矿露天矿坑，Calistemon 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权 / Photo of the Greenbushes lithium mine open pit by Calistemon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
