The Australian Government is investing a further $21 million in Australia’s critical minerals sector to support hundreds of new jobs and help build a Future Made in Australia. 

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King has announced grants for five projects that will diversify global supply chains for critical minerals and rare earth elements and help grow processing operations here in Australia. 

The grants are expected to create almost 400 new jobs across the successful projects. 

The new grants mean the Government has funded $40 million in projects under the International Partnerships in Critical Minerals program since it opened in February 2024.

“These new grants will help Australian critical minerals and rare earth projects reach the next stage of development and secure good, highly paid and highly skilled jobs in both mining, research and downstream processing,” Minister King said.

“Critical minerals and rare earths elements are essential components of clean energy technology such as storage batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines, as well as high-technology defence and medical applications.

“Our ongoing national security and capabilities depend upon growing a strong and internationally competitive critical minerals and rare earth industry.

“Australia is determined to diversify global supply chains for these crucial materials and to create jobs in Australia in projects that support our path to net zero and the energy and security needs of our trading partners.”

The new grants are:

• $3.8 million for Vecco Group Ltd, to support the feasibility and design of a high-purity vanadium project in Brisbane;
• $3 million for Graphinex Ltd, to support a proposed graphite refinery (Battery Anode Hub) in Townsville, linked to its Esmeralda deposit;
• $7.39 million for Tivan Ltd, to support feasibility studies for the Speewah Fluorite project located in the East Kimberley region of WA;
• $5 million for Australian Rare Earths Ltd, to support a demonstration plant of ionic clay hosted rare earth elements from its Koppamurra Project at Naracoorte in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region, and 
• $2.7 million for Critical Minerals Group, to support a vanadium electrolyte production chain for battery-grade chemical materials in northern Queensland including Townsville and Mount Isa.

Minister King said the five new grants, and three grants previously announced, underlined the success of the International Partnerships in Critical Minerals program, set up to support early to mid-stage critical minerals projects of mutual interest to our international partners. 

The program has supported projects involving industry partners from the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Canada.

The road to net zero runs through Australia’s resources sector.

The full list of grantees can be found on the Business Grants Hub website.