Doorstop, Townsville

JOURNALIST: Tell us a little bit about this morning please, Claudia? 

CLAUDIA BRUMME-SMITH [TOWNSVILLE ENTERPRISE CEO]: As we know, the mining sector supports 20,000 jobs in West and North Queensland. We’re so proud of that industry because it contributes over $100 billion to the Queensland economy. So for us today, it’s about making sure that we’re talking about the opportunities that we’re having in this region. About $5 billion of mining and processing projects valued at about $9 billion and 3,000 constructions jobs,1,500 ongoing jobs. So, it matters to North Queensland that we have those projects coming, because they’re jobs we know will matter for the next generation and for the generation after that. This region also has a great history when it comes to mining. 150 years since the gold rush in Charters Towers contributed to building of the port of Townsville, it contributed to building the rail line, the highways. We know on the back of mining we get prosperity and wealth for our region and today is about talking about new projects but also making sure that all levels of government understand the investment that we need.

JOURNALIST: Why is mining critical minerals such an important aspect for regional Queensland and northern Australia? 

BRUMME-SMITH: Mining is truly what the region contributes. I think it’s always overseen, but as the royalties are coming back into our region to pay for infrastructure that we need, we’re seeing how much it enables. We know that Townsville is coming back because of projects like CopperString, which will drive our economy. So, for us, we appreciate the support of the State and Federal Governments to be here today and to outline their policies for mining, but we do need those investments to be made right here in Townsville. Thanks everyone, over to Anthony? 

JOURNALIST: So why have you decided to be at this Forum today? 

ANTHONY CHISHOLM [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: I’d really like thank Townsville Enterprise for the opportunity to be here. Obviously, it’s a really strong part of the Federal Government’s agenda to ensure that we can develop our critical minerals industry across the country, and we know there’s enormous opportunity in Northern Queensland and North West Queensland to do that. So, we appreciate the opportunity to be here, outline the Federal Government’s plans. But also meet with people and be able to learn more about what the opportunities are in north Queensland.

JOURNALIST: How much is the Federal Government investing in critical minerals?

CHISHOLM: There’s so many ways we’re investing in critical minerals, whether it be the production tax incentive, whether it be through the Made in Australia and the opportunity to create more refineries, an opportunity to value add to critical minerals. That’s where the Federal Government’s investment will lie, and we’re really interested in learning more. But also working with industry because we know that Townsville itself can offer great opportunities for that.

JOURNALIST: What about the balance between green energy and mining? How do you imagine that? 

CHISHOLM: What we know is that there is worldwide demand for our critical minerals, so we think that’s a great opportunity and we’re not actually going to be able to meet the demands of the energy transition if we can’t actually produce those critical minerals to make the solar panels, to make the wind farms, so that we can actually make the transition across the world. So that’s the enormous opportunity, and that’s why we’re excited about it. And that’s why the Federal Government are partnering with the State Government to ensure that we can invest in the mining areas. 

JOURNALIST: I’ve got one about Reef HQ, obviously a big draw card in Townsville, that’s been a big investment. Are there any movements in that?

CHISHOLM: No, unfortunately we’re still in a holding pattern on that, but as soon as I get more information, I’m happy to make sure it’s provided.

JOURNALIST: What do you mean by holding pattern? 

CHISHOLM: I don’t think there’s been any progress made, is my understanding.

JOURNALIST: In three years? That’s pretty concerning. 

CHISHOLM: Obviously it’s an important project. We want to ensure we get it right. We’ll continue to work constructively as best as we can.

JOURNALIST: One for Minister Stewart, how excited are you to be at the Forum today? 

SCOTT STEWART [QLD RESOURCES AND MINING MINISTER]: This is awesome. I mean, this is what North Queensland is about when it comes to our mining industry. This is about the critical minerals and rare earths that we have. We’ve got over $500 quillion worth of critical millions locked in that North-West corridor. This is the opportunity to unlock that and get it happening for us. Now, we know that critical minerals are the next big boom for us here in Queensland. Townsville is so expertly positioned to take advantage of it, that’s why we have put the Critical Minerals Queensland office right here in Townsville. No use having it in Brisbane. It’s here in Townsville to work with investors, to work with the industry, to work with government, to work with community, to make sure we can deliver the best outcome. That’s what this is about. It’s about working with those industries. 

We’ve contributed in our Budget $315 million to help unlock that potential. We’ve got our critical mineral zones in the Richmond/Julia Creek area, and then Mount Isa and Cloncurry areas. So, this is about producing the amount needed and working on those approvals. It’s about getting some of those early approvals done, so when investors come along, part of that initial work is done. We all know that this contributes to our environmental, social, and governance credentials which is so critical for us to be competitors on the international stage. Townsville and North Queensland are so well positioned to take advantage of this next big boom. This is about getting ready.

JOURNALIST: How would you describe the mood and the sentiment among investors internationally as they look into Queensland minerals? 

STEWART: People are excited and just at the end of last year I had the opportunity to travel to Washington and New York and speak to billionaires who are looking at investing into critical minerals. Now we know they are searching specifically for native, they’re looking for high purity alumina and we have that in buckets here. So, this is the opportunity to be able to work this through, through our local investors here but also through the industry as well and it’s about getting ready for those opportunities. We also had the opportunity to talk about CopperString and what that will mean for our investors. Now they are really interested in that. A lot of those billionaire investors in the US even knew about CopperString or were very aware of it when we were finished. The only way we can afford to continue to build CopperString is through our coal royalties. Now that’s at risk under an LNP Government here in Queensland.

JOURNALIST: So potentially with declining coal royalties, do you actually expect critical minerals to fill that void? 

STEWART: What we will see is critical minerals is our next big boom. So, this is about renewable energy. We’ve set our targets for our energy and jobs plan to meet those challenges. Now we know that will bring affordable, reliable energy to the North and the North-West particularly. We know that it is getting harder and harder to get the investment into mining. This will actually attract those investors. They’re looking for ways to address that because that is what the world is asking for through a decarbonised economy.

JOURNALIST: The Budget allocates roughly $30 million to be left to the upkeep, the annual upkeep to the Mount Isa rail column. Is that enough considering the significance that this rail corridor?

STEWART: Yeah, look, we know that there are some challenges certainly with the rail line. We have the Minister for Transport and Main Roads will be in town later this week to talk about exactly that. This is a way of looking at the opportunities that present themselves. Now, we are investing into our infrastructure. For example, widening Townsville Port at a cost of over $250 million, that will attract those larger ships that will be able to export those products. I’m not just talking about the commodity. This is about manufacturing of things here too and then exporting it through the Port and it will only happen through that investment into the infrastructure. We’ve spoken about CopperString and what that will bring, and while we know that there are some further challenges ahead of us, including the water. We’d also be working with the rail line as well. It’s very complex. It’s not an overnight fix, but we know we have these challenges in front of us. Plus, we’re also working with our local councils about getting them ready to have these mining camps in their town. Now this is about supporting the local economy, it’s about supporting those local communities because we know those small towns like Richmonds, Julia Creeks, Cloncurry, which are the backbone of regional Queensland. 

JOURNALIST: CopperString, is it still moving ahead? 

STEWART: Yes, so this is very exciting. We just last week got a number of briefings from CopperString. They’re very excited to get things moving and happening quickly. We want to see that as well. It’s still on track from what they’re telling us. We know that this is only able to be paid for by those coal royalties. We are absolutely razor-sharp focused on what we need to deliver with our infrastructure to support the critical minerals coming out of the ground. This is the next big boom for us. We need to be ready because the world is going to be moving very quickly.

JOURNALIST: Can you just tell us a little bit about the Wolfram Camp mining plan, please? 

STEWART: How good is this? We’ve just been able to provide the permits necessary for EP Resources in Far North Queensland, to be able to do the drilling and exploration that they need. Tungsten is one of the most premium minerals and Wolfram camp has got some of the best, highest quality product anywhere in the world. So, this is really supporting that development, that Queensland and particularly North Queensland is the place to invest. This is a great announcement for us here in the north. It means more jobs and it really establishes us in the next step to providing those critical minerals that not only we need, but the world will need when they start to decarbonise their economies, whether it’s the solar panels, the batteries that we need, this is establishing us as a key player in the world. 

JOURNALIST: If Labor was voted in again, what direction would you like to take that in your space in the next three years? You’ve got some significant challenges ahead. 

STEWART: So, when Labor is re-elected at the next election, what we will see is that we’ve got our plan. We’ve got a very clear plan that we’ve established right from the get go, whether it’s our Resources Industry Development Plan, which is our 30-year vision, whether it’s our Critical Minerals Plan that we released only 12 months ago, we know investors are lining up domestically and internationally to invest in Queensland. It’s about working with industry and community to make sure that we are ready to meet those challenges. We’ve got a very clear view ahead of us. Unfortunately, we have not seen or heard anything from the LNP. They have got no plan when it comes to critical minerals. In fact, they didn’t even mention it in their Budget. Thanks everyone.