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ARTICLE · 11 AUGUST 2026

Will Queensland's New Critical Minerals Plan Deliver A Downstream Processing Industry?

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
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Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

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Queensland's new critical minerals plan, Delivering Queensland's Critical Minerals Future 2026-30 (the 2026-30 Plan), arrives at a time when governments around the world are competing not only to develop critical minerals projects, but also to secure processing and refining capability.

AustraliaEnergy and Natural Resources
Jay Leary
Jay Leary
Daniel Basuki
Daniel Basuki
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Queensland's new critical minerals plan, Delivering Queensland's Critical Minerals Future 2026-30 (the 2026-30 Plan), arrives at a time when governments around the world are competing not only to develop critical minerals projects, but also to secure processing and refining capability. Accordingly, the Queensland Government recently committed $146 million over three years to accelerate critical minerals development and drive new investment into projects and infrastructure. In the 2026-30 Plan, the government hopes to position Queensland as a global leader in the supply of critical minerals, and as a trusted partner in secure, resilient supply chains. 

In this article, we examine whether the 2026-30 Plan can meaningfully move Queensland beyond extraction and towards a more substantial processing and refining industry.

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