QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Ms MADELEINE KING (Brand—Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia) (15:11): I thank the member for Hasluck for her fine question. She's a great advocate for her community in Hasluck and an exceptional advocate for Western Australia—indeed, for the whole of the resources sector of this country. Critical minerals and rare earths are vital to the future of our economy and to our national security.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering by building new processing capacity in critical minerals here at home, by creating good, high-paying Australian jobs right around the country and by working closely with trusted international partners to secure supply chains and build sovereign critical minerals capability. Australia has a remarkable geology. The minerals and resources beneath our feet are unsurpassed and they are vital to meeting the challenges of reaching net zero, to building the technology of the modern world and to ensuring defence capabilities and national security.

We have a world-leading resources sector built over more than a century—from the first gold rushes in New South Wales, Victoria and WA to the great coal exports of the Hunter and the Bowen Basin to the remarkable iron ore exports of the Pilbara in Western Australia. Through grit, determination and hard work, generations of Australians have helped make our resources industry the envy of the world.

The combination of our natural resources, a strong resources sector and a highly skilled, hardworking workforce means Australia has unmatched potential to deliver the critical minerals the world needs, and this government is delivering on a plan to ensure we build out that capacity. Under the investment we are making with the United States through the US-Australia framework agreement, we are delivering.

Signed nearly a year ago, it is bearing fruit. Last month the US announced it will invest more than half a billion dollars to support the development of Sunrise Energy Metals' scandium project near Dubbo in New South Wales. That's a hundred jobs in construction and many ongoing jobs—great for regional New South Wales.

In WA we have the Alcoa gallium recovery project in Wagerup—I was lucky to be at the sod turning for that—also identified under the landmark framework agreement and backed by Australia, backed by the US and backed by the Japanese government through Sojitz and JOGMEC. We also are delivering an extraordinary capability in sovereign critical minerals in the heart of our nation in Alice Springs—the Arafura Nolans rare earths project, a transformational rare earths project in Australia supported by Australia, the US, South Korea, Canada and Germany.

This government, under this Prime Minister, is delivering the promise of the critical minerals industry for the whole of the nation and, indeed, for the world. Mr Albanese: I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.