![]() Last month Ms King held crisis talks with her WA counterpart David Michael, nickel producers, mining peak bodies and unions in Perth.Īt the time, both Mr Micheal and Ms King said all proposals - from royalty relief to sweeping royalty reforms - were on the table to support the industry. "What I did make sure I could do, though, in developing this policy, was make sure I could very quickly move something from the strategic materials to the critical minerals list." Crisis talks held "So that's what I had to balance up and when we finalised the critical minerals list, nickel wasn't in this position. "If you make everything a priority, nothing's a priority," she said. Ms King said the industry was in a very different position now than it was several months ago. The independent Perth-based analyst criticised big miners for pushing the industry to unsustainable levels over the past 12-18 months. We've already seen a lot of government funding being directed at, you know, white elephants." "I think the government could find better ways to direct that that funding. "How many times have you seen money lent to Australian businesses who then can't repay it?" he said. Mr Strachan questioned the decision to allow the "failing" industry to have access to the critical minerals facility fund. ![]() The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies was among the lobby groups that called for nickel to be put on the critical minerals list earlier this year.ĪMEC CEO Warren Pearce welcomed the move but said it was not yet clear if the support will be be enough for the struggling industry. "The other thing it does is it helps with our international partners too that we move this onto the critical minerals list, so that we can attract some of their investment from their national financing bodies like Export-Import Bank." ![]() "This will now make sure nickel can fall within that particular facility," Ms King said. Last year, the facility's fund swelled from $2 billion to $4 billion. The loan facility, managed by the federal government's credit agency Export Finance Australia, aims to bolster and develop projects consistent with the Australian Critical Mineral's Strategy. Nickel's inclusion on the critical minerals list is expected to make it easier for project proponents to apply for funding from the federal government's critical minerals facility. "If Nickel West went into care maintenance, which usually leads into permanent shutdowns, it would be very difficult to restart this industry, so it is a very serious moment," she told ABC Radio Perth. Ms King said the move would have "significant ramifications" on the state's nickel industry, with plummeting prices over the past year having already led to several mine closures and hundreds of job losses. The minister's announcement on Friday came after mining giant BHP revealed it was considering mothballing its Nickel West division, which could risk thousands of workers' jobs. It will allow nickel miners to apply to access a $4 billion fund.įederal Resources Minister Madeline King says she will put nickel on the critical minerals list, allowing nickel miners to apply to access a $4 billion fund.In response, Federal Resources Minister Madeline King says she will put nickel on the critical minerals list. ![]()
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