Resources Minister Scott Stewart gives insights into US mission and new office

Soon to begin a mission secure billions in clean energy funding from the US, Resources Minister Scott Stewart has toured a new Townsville office that will play a critical role.

On the eve of a trade mission to drum up investment for Queensland’s critical minerals industry, Resources Minister Scott Stewart has provided a sneak peek of Townsville’s new Critical Minerals Queensland office.

With the United States committing $500bn towards its clean energy funds, Mr Stewart was determined to secure “up to $10bn in opportunities”, which would help unlock the abundance of critical minerals in Queensland’s north and north west minerals provinces.

Departing next week, the Queensland delegation will be accompanied by North America Trade Commissioner Viki Forrest to discuss investment partnerships with senior government officials and specialist resource industry investment firms in Washington, DC, and New York City.

The foundations were laid in June at the World Mining Congress in Sydney where Mr Stewart met with some of the world’s most influential governments and government investment banks.

It was there that he learnt that the US Defence Department also needed Queensland’s plentiful rare earth minerals like germanium, graphite and graphene for their defence systems, in addition to clean energy bolstering critical minerals like vanadium, cobalt, tungsten, copper, high purity alumina, silica, and nickel.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart has provided a sneak peek of Townsville’s new Critical Minerals office. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“This is our opportunity to meet with key people, key investors to awaken those opportunities but also create those good strong partnerships on the back of already existing trade opportunities that we have with the US,” Mr Stewart said.

“In the North West Minerals Province alone there is potentially $500 billion of critical mineral deposits which CopperString will help unlock.

“We’ve got the opportunities to develop the refining, processing and the manufacture of those critical minerals and rare earths here in Townsville … (and) we’ve got one of the best trading ports in the north of Australia right on our doorstep as well.”

Mr Stewart was excited to show visitors through the government’s soon-to-open Critical Minerals Queensland at the top floor of the Verde Tower, where 12 staff will provide a “concierge service” to attract investors and “get critical minerals moving in North Queensland”.

Critical Minerals Queensland acting-lead Luke Croton said a five-year lease was signed for the office in September and a recruitment campaign was underway to source “highly technical skilled people”.

“We would encourage anyone who’s keen to put in an application … (who) have those skills about promoting the resources sector, have a great passion for Queensland, and more importantly Townsville, and are willing to support the supply chain and get business here happening,” he said.

Originally published as Resources Minister Scott Stewart gives insights into US mission and new office