Scott Morrison to launch ‘resources roadmap’ in Hunter Valley

Scott Morrison will launch a new “resources roadmap” to encourage Aussie businesses to use local resources to create high value and high tech products such as batteries and solar cells.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on Thursday travel to the Hunter Valley to launch a new “resources roadmap” as well as a Modern Manufacturing Initiative to encourage Australian businesses to use local resources to create high value and high tech products such as batteries and solar cells.

The government says that their new Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing road map aims to, by 2030, turn Australia into a regional hub for resources technology and critical minerals processing with a significant volume of exports.

The roadmap also aims to increase business confidence and recovery with an eye to create new national manufacturing priorities and making Australian supply chains more locally based resilient, something that was stress tested at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will travel to the Hunter Valley on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

The $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative opened for applications as well, focusing on extracting and processing so-called critical minerals such as titanium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths.

NSW is already home to a number of critical minerals projects to mine titanium, cobalt, and scandium near Dubbo.

“This funding will back businesses to pursue those opportunities and turn innovative ideas into high-value products so we can build on Australia’s competitive advantage and secure greater investment and market share,” said industry, science, and technology minister Karen Andrews.

The prime minister pointed to Australia’s strengthening post-Covid economy as the reason to move now to give industry a push.

“Yesterday’s national accounts showed the comeback of the Australian economy is well underway and manufacturing businesses and jobs will be central to our National Economic Recovery Plan as we build back from the COVID-19 recession,” Mr Morrison said.

“Today’s funding will help unlock investment from industry to help build manufacturing capability and competitiveness in Australia’s resources sector while taking advantage of a significant global growth sector.

“This investment and this Roadmap will support jobs across Australia, particularly in our resource rich regions like the Hunter, Western Australia and Central Queensland.”

Originally published as Scott Morrison to launch ‘resources roadmap’ in Hunter Valley