The New South Wales Government has started development on its new Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Strategy.
The strategy will provide the framework for the critical minerals and high-tech metals mining industry while providing certainty and direction for the growing industry.
The new document will include a sharper focus on domestic manufacturing, skills and training opportunities.
“I’m excited by the opportunities created by critical minerals in NSW. The new strategy will ensure the state is able to best realise the gains of the next mining boom,” NSW Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos said.
“NSW is uniquely positioned to support global supply of critical minerals with our diverse mix of critical mineral and high-tech metal deposits and capacity to promote domestic processing and manufacturing.”
A total of 17 of the 26 nationally identified critical minerals can be found in NSW.
The Government is currently in a consultation phase of development, and will be looking at the following considerations:
- creating more local jobs by encouraging domestic processing and manufacturing of products
- developing skills and training opportunities in the workforce
- encouraging greenfield critical minerals exploration across the state, including through the release of geological survey data.
- examining the economics of the industry and the best ways to leverage the government’s purchasing power to ensure investment growth
- creating additional certainty for the industry and supporting NSW’s strong environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) position
- attracting investment for innovation, research and development in NSW
- entrenching NSW’s role as a preferred supplier of critical minerals to global trading partners.
“We will establish a clear framework on how the government can support the exploration and mining of critical minerals and high-tech metals in NSW,” Houssos said.
“We will consider how boosted skills and training opportunities throughout the state can drive the industry. Critical minerals mining requires a skilled labour force and that means more, high-paying jobs for people in regional NSW.
“Our ability to leverage the state’s natural abundance of materials to create employment opportunities and economic growth will be the best measure of our success.”