Response to the Australian Government's Critical Minerals Strategy
In December, the Australian Government launched a public consultation on its new critical minerals strategy, setting out their development priorities for the critical minerals sector and its role in delivering sustainable development opportunities from the transition to clean energy technologies.
Fundamentally, critical minerals are at the heart of the global effort to achieve the transition to a clean energy system. This means that enshrining high Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards – including closely working with First Nations Peoples - is a prerequisite for a safe, just, and sustainable transition, which is highlighted in ICMM’s response to the consultation.
Additionally, we encourage the Australian Government to work with its partners and allies to create a global policy environment for critical minerals that safeguard global access – especially for low-income countries – whilst ensuring the highest social and environmental standards. Furthermore, we also encourage the Australian Government to work with its partners, allies, and the global mining and metals industries to explore how supply chain bottlenecks can be addressed in a fashion that encourages resource-rich countries to develop domestic supply chain capabilities, where appropriate, whilst meeting its own critical minerals objectives.
ICMM’s submission to the consultation can be found here.