Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Pocock, for that question and that set of ideas about how Australia ought to make sure that Australia's natural assets are used to the benefit of Australia in our national interest but also that we are not just exporting ore overseas. That we are processing rare earths and critical minerals here for the benefit of our partners who invest in these projects is absolutely what has framed not just this partnership with the United States and our critical minerals approach more broadly but also our broader Future Made in Australia approach.

It is absolutely about making sure that Australia uses the unique advantages that we have. Almost all of these minerals are required as the world shifts its industrial processes, its communications technology, its computational capability and its defence technologies into technologies that require critical minerals and rare earths. Australia is in a unique position. All of the minerals that you'd want to have underneath the ground, enormous amounts of space and enormous wind and solar reserves that mean that, for almost all of the economies who are seeking clean and green production methods—we can deliver them here in Australia. That is what this partnership's about. We are delighted to see that it came with a series of practical investments in real projects.