Critical minerals

Growing Australia’s critical minerals sector

Critical minerals are crucial to building a Future Made in Australia. We need them for Australia’s economic sovereignty, defence capabilities, critical technologies and the acceleration of the clean energy transition.

The critical minerals sector is a priority industry under the Future Made in Australia agenda. This recognises that the sector is critical to economic resilience and security and vulnerable to disruptions.

Australia’s Critical Minerals Strategy aims to grow Australia’s critical minerals sector by:

• advancing our national security, economic resilience and strategic influence
• building sovereign capability in critical minerals mining and processing to support a Future Made in Australia
• creating secure, resilient and diversified supply chains through strong international partnerships
• using our critical minerals to strengthen Australia’s energy security, support the net-zero transformation and help become a renewable energy superpower.

Investing in critical minerals and supply chains

The Australia Government is investing in a range of programs and initiatives to:

• accelerate critical minerals opportunities for industry
• build diverse, resilient and sustainable supply chains
• create more value from our onshore resources.

Australia’s critical minerals opportunity

Australia is home to some of the largest recoverable critical mineral deposits on earth, and is a secure, reliable source of critical minerals and strategic materials. We are world-leaders in developing responsible projects with high environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials.

Partnering internationally on supply chains

Australia engages internationally to help address supply chain risks, advance research and promote ethical and sustainable practice.

Safeguarding against foreign interference

Australia’s critical mineral sector has unique traits that make it a target for foreign interference.

Our information toolkit on safeguarding against foreign interference in the critical minerals sector helps industry understand, identify and report suspected acts of foreign interference.