Lithium producer Allkem has called out labour shortages and high staff turnover in the West Australian mining industry and says the solution might not be as simple as boosting immigration quotas.

Allkem’s Mt Cattlin mine in WA is spewing cash, thanks to strong lithium prices, but the company’s growth plans are in its brine operations in Argentina and the James Bay spodumene project in Canada as it looks to triple production by 2026.