Thank you, Tim [Tim Cox, LGA of Queensland] for that introduction.

Good morning everyone.

Before I go on, I too would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land and pay respect to elder’s past, present and emerging.

I would like to especially acknowledge all First Nations people present today – and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community.

It is great to be here in Cloncurry for another Meeting of the Mines.

I would like to thank the Cloncurry Shire Council and Mayor Greg Campbell for the invitation to say a few words.

I know Mayor Campbell pretty well and acknowledge how hard he works for people in this wonderful part of the state.

He is very passionate about the industries that drive this region – we are too.

I want to also acknowledge my colleague, Minister for Resources Madeleine King, who spoke here yesterday.

It’s a privilege to work alongside her in the federal ministerial team, it’s a big portfolio, and I know how hard she’s been working for our resources sector, especially here in Queensland.

I think we all appreciate the vital role mining plays in the economic development of this state, and of north-west Queensland in particular.

Mining and our regions

Mining and our regions go hand in hand.

Some of Australia’s most famous regional towns were, or continue to be, mining towns – from Kalgoorlie to Broken Hill to Mount Isa, and of course, Cloncurry.

The sector is worth billions to the state of Queensland.

Around 13 per cent of the national GDP, and 17 per cent of the Queensland GSP, come from resources.

In dollar terms, this equates to $360 billion annually for Australia and $88 billion annually for Queensland.

The mineral-rich earth of Queensland’s north-west is key to this economy.

Ernest Henry, of course, discovered a copper lode east of here in 1867.

I note Jason Floyd, from Ernest Henry Operations, is speaking after me and will no doubt elaborate on this more.

Pioneers like Henry laid the foundations for what’s now one of Australia’s most lucrative and promising mining provinces.

But you can’t truly reap the rewards of productive mining ground without strong community infrastructure.

Thriving regions help build a strong mining industry, and a strong mining industry helps build thriving regional towns.

Without the people who live and work in these communities, the industry that fuels our national economy will falter.  

If we don’t invest in regional talent and infrastructure, our world-class resources won’t just slow—they’ll wither.

We can’t afford for that to happen, especially with new, exciting opportunities emerging in areas like critical minerals.

The critical minerals opportunity

Australia’s critical minerals and base metals are essential for digital and renewable technologies.

North-west Queensland has a long history of delivering the strategic resources the world needs through its high-grade deposits of copper, lead, zinc, silver, and cobalt.

And now we have exciting opportunities for rare earths that could further elevate its significance on the global stage.

Through the Albanese Government’s $3.4 billion Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, our government will provide the building blocks to allow private industry to fully capitalise on these opportunities.

Our Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative will see Geoscience Australia map all 36 critical minerals and strategic materials, alternative energy sources and 100 per cent of groundwater systems for the whole of Australia.

It’ll be free and open world-class precompetitive geoscience data to enable smarter, more efficient exploration to help uncover resource discoveries across Australia.

Alongside digging these materials up, adding value to these minerals will help us develop and sustain advanced industries here at home.

That was emphasised during my visit in July to the site of Vecco Group’s battery manufacturing plant in Townsville.

Vecco’s open-cut vanadium mine north of Julia Creek was granted coordinated project status from the state government this year, as was the battery manufacturing plant.

Under the project, a critical minerals processing plant at Julia Creek will supply minerals for use in the local manufacture of rechargeable batteries.

It’s going to create almost 600 jobs in north-west Queensland, along with new manufacturing jobs in Townsville.

Vecco Group received grants under the Albanese Government’s $40 million International Partnerships in Critical Minerals Program.

The visit stressed to me that we are a nation – and a state – brimming with critical minerals potential.

Like I said at the recent Metals Roundtable in August, we have the resources and skilled workforce needed to lead the world in capitalising on this potential.

The Albanese Government is committed to a Future Made in Australia – helping make our workers and communities the big beneficiaries of the global shift to net zero.

Our robust and comprehensive critical minerals strategy sets out a vision for making the most of our critical mineral endowments.

And we are implementing strategies to grow our downstream critical minerals processing capabilities.

This is going to help us capture long-term opportunities for Queensland, and for its north-west mining communities.  

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, in the meantime, is ensuring Community Benefit Rules apply to the Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive, to ensure benefits flow to local workers and communities.

$1.1 billion is also being provided to rural and regional communities as a part of the Albanese Government’s Better Connectivity Plan.

These initiatives are supporting the people who live and work in our regional areas, including North-West Queensland, because it’s the people that have made our mining sector great.

NAIF

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) is also playing an invaluable role in supporting regional communities across northern Australia.

It is the centrepiece of our northern Australia agenda and has been a tremendous success.

The NAIF has an impressive portfolio of investments from large-scale resource and energy developments to social infrastructure – including social housing and university accommodation – to airport upgrades, and agriculture and aquaculture projects.

As of 31 July 2025, the NAIF is supporting 32 projects, including 14 in Queensland, totalling around $1.7 billion.

These projects in Queensland are forecast to provide around $11 billion in economic impact to the regional economy and support almost 8,000 jobs.

Last year, Minister Madeleine King announced a review of the NAIF Act to ensure NAIF is continuing to deliver for Australians as it was intended.

I know the review panel received 40 written submissions and held 85 meetings with stakeholders from all levels of government, industry, First Nations organisations, research groups and regional development bodies.

The panel also attended six site visits across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland to consider NAIF investments and future opportunities.

I understand that the panel's unanimous view is that the NAIF has overwhelming support from all levels of government, industry and the public.

The Albanese Government is considering the review and will respond to the recommendations in coming months.

Copper is king

The north-west is, of course, the heart of Queensland's copper mining industry.

This region is where copper is mined and smelted.

The Albanese Government recognises that copper is vital to this part of the state, especially to towns like Mount Isa, and to the broader north-west Queensland region.

The importance of copper is only going to increase due to growing international demand for electrification and digitalisation.

But we recognise the role that copper plays across North Queensland is not just limited to mining and smelting.

Our North Queensland copper supply chain collectively underpins thousands of direct and indirect jobs in this state and nation, and we want to see this sector continue to deliver for Queensland and for Australia.

Since coming into this role, I have met and spoken with copper mine workers from the Northwest and officials from the Australian Workers’ Union.

They have reinforced to me the significant role that the Glencore copper smelter has in the Mount Isa region – both across the community and the local economy.

They also emphasised the substantial impact that a closure will have on facilities and the workforce in the downstream supply chain.

And as Industry Minister Tim Ayres and the Albanese Government continue to work with our State counterparts in the Crisafulli Government, and Glencore, these considerations remain front of mind.

Governments cannot do this alone, though.

We expect all parties, including industry, to co-invest in Mt Isa’s future. There are challenges facing smelters not just here in Mount Isa, but across Australia.

Each facility presents unique circumstances that require tailored assessments and solutions.

We remain committed to working with industry and our state counterparts across Australia to find long-term solutions that protect our national interest, economic resilience and good jobs in regional Australia.

Conclusion

Thank you again for the opportunity to say a few words this morning.

It has been a pleasure to be at Meeting of the Mines and listen to resources leaders discuss in depth the future of one of our most productive and innovative industries.

This event is such a tremendous initiative, and I congratulate the Cloncurry Shire Council and Mayor Campbell on another highly successful program.

Thank you for your attention and please enjoy the rest of the day.