Resources minister Madeleine King joins Albanese on US trip to push WA’s critical minerals industry

WA Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King will join Anthony Albanese on his visit to the US, where she will push the State’s growing critical minerals industry. Ms King will co-host a critical minerals industry roundtable with US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. With WA already a major supplier of critical minerals to the world — accounting for around half of global lithium production and a major exporter of cobalt, nickel, manganese and rare earths — Mr Albanese sees the US visit as a further opportunity to push the growing industry. At the roundtable, Mr Albanese will lead discussions “about Australia’s role as a source of the processed materials the US will increasingly need for its defence and manufacturing industries, and as it decarbonises its economy”. The roundtable will hear from Industry leaders from the United States and Australia, including General Electric, Iluka, Lockheed Martin, Nextera Energy Tesla, Lynas, Alpha HPA and others. “Australia is a close friend and ally of the United States,” the Prime Minister said. “My Government is committed to transforming Australia into a renewable energy superpower. The transition to a net zero economy, in Australia and globally, needs Australian lithium and nickel and cobalt and other critical minerals — and WA has them in abundance.” “These talks will put Western Australia’s resources sector at the heart of discussions in Washington DC and at the centre of the world’s energy transition.” Ms King said Western Australia’s critical minerals were in “hot demand right around the world”. Critical minerals are essential for defence and medical technologies, and for storage batteries, electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. “The road to net zero runs through Western Australia’s resources sector,” Ms King said. “Australian critical minerals projects are vital to ensuring the world has a stable, reliable source of materials to power the energy transition. “Global demand for critical minerals needed for electric vehicles and battery technologies is increasing as the world moves to decarbonise, and Australia is key to meeting this demand.” Minister King said US investment had helped build Western Australia’s iron ore and gas industries into the global powerhouses they are today. But she said US investment would now help build Australia’s critical minerals and rare earths industries. “We know that critical minerals and resources to support low-emissions technology are our next great opportunity,” Minister King said.