Labor is coming under pressure to grant potentially lucrative “critical minerals” status to a growing range of commodities from bauxite to nickel and copper as minnows struggle to clinch taxpayer support for projects over high-profile proponents like Andrew Forrest.

As the opposition urged Resources Minister Madeleine King to extend special status to more bulk commodities at the heart of security and decarbonisation supply chains, one of the nation’s leading tungsten projects said it needed more government backing to help Anthony Albanese deliver on his deal last month with Joe Biden on critical supplies.