QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (14:23): I thank Senator Sterle for that question. This is an Australian story, but it's very much a Western Australian story. His question is right.

The critical minerals framework that the Prime Minister of Australia signed with the President of the United States in that meeting in the cabinet room in the White House will support the development of critical minerals mining and production here in Australia, a diverse, resilient and secure supply chain that is in the interests of Australia and in the interests of our American partners.

This is all about reducing market concentration in the global market for critical minerals and rare earths. These are not just any commodity. They are absolutely fundamental for the modern industrial and communications and defence technologies.

Without secure supply chains for these materials, we don't have certainty about our access to vital defence and clean energy technologies and systems or computational capability. All of these are ingredients for the modern industrial and technology economy. This applies equally for our partners.

That's why our American partners signed the agreement. It will mobilise billions of dollars of financing in Australia and in the United States to drive project development, like the $200 million in concessional financing which will deliver the Alcoa-Sojitz gallium recovery project in Wagerup, Western Australia. It's a trilateral project—Australia, Japan and the US.

Good regional blue-collar jobs delivered in Western Australia through this framework— The PRESIDENT: Thank you, Minister. Senator Sterle, first supplementary?