Townsville Enterprise launches Keep Our Copper docu-series to back copper supply chain
A new documentary series has captured the precarious position of NQ’s copper supply, where 17,000 jobs are at risk, as calls grow louder for a government intervention. See the first episode.
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With North Queensland’s copper supply chain in danger of collapsing like a house of cards, Townsville Enterprise has launched a docu-series which highlights the looming threat of losing key infrastructure without immediate action.
Swiss mining giant Glencore sounded the alarm in May that its Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery were at risk of closure by the end of the year without government intervention - putting 17,000 jobs, as well as Australia’s economic security and national sovereignty at risk.
It comes as the company prepares to stop mining the Mount Isa Mines underground copper operation in July.
To put the precarious position of NQ’s copper supply chain into context, Townsville Enterprise’s five-part docu-series takes viewers across the Northwest Minerals Province, capturing voices from the mine sites, manufacturers, workers, councils, and industry leaders, as they of warn of the consequences if the key national assets were closed.
It outlines the complex dynamics shaping global copper markets, where China had recently launched six new smelters to tighten control of copper processing capacity.
The first episode, “Why the Smelter Matters”, describes the key piece of infrastructure as the “cornerstone of Australia’s copper supply chain”.
Mount Isa Copper Smelter general manager Adam Purkis said their smelter had been around since the 1950s, operating as Australia’s only smelter processing third-party concentrates from mines throughout the nation.
“That’s important because the cost of freighting concentrates to the Asian market or anywhere else in the world is immense, and we allow the miners to send their product to market at a much lower freight cost,” Mr Purkis said.
“As well, we’re also fighting against a huge increase in the smelting capacity within Asia. So that includes India, China, and Indonesia. It’s a deliberate drive to corner the market.”
Without Mount Isa and Townsville’s processing capability, Australia would also need to depend on foreign nations for critical mineral processing, and it would jeopardise our manufacturing and renewable energy future.
Townsville Enterprise chief executive Claudia Brumme-Smith, said the series provided a rare opportunity to access the copper smelter and refinery and speak to workers, councils, and industry leaders.
“The mood is anxious — people are worried that their next shift could be their last. They know what’s at stake,” Ms Brumme-Smith said.
“At the end of the day, the world wants our copper. There is plenty to be mined in the Northwest.
“Governments must recognise we are five minutes to midnight on keeping this supply chain intact. This isn’t just one facility at risk — it’s a house of cards. Pull out a single asset, and the entire regional economy could collapse around it.”
For more information, visit: www.keepourcopper.com.au.
Keep our Copper docuseries
• Episode 1: Why the Smelter Matters: The cornerstone of Australia’s copper supply chain
• Episode 2: Unearthed Potential: Mining the Demand Boom
• Episode 3: Townsville’s Refinery Reckoning: will we take our copper to the world?
• Episode 4: From Surviving to Thriving: the game changers to fuel our region’s copper revival
• Episode 5: The Chain Reaction: Why Farmers are fearing the Smelter closure
More Coverage
Originally published as Townsville Enterprise launches Keep Our Copper docu-series to back copper supply chain
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