Writing a new chapter in Queensland’s resources journey The Hon. Scott Stewart, MP Queensland Minister for Resources
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023 has been a seismic year for Queensland’s resources sector because it marks the start of a new chapter in this state’s rich resources history. In June, all the world’s eyes were on Brisbane as we hosted the World Mining Congress. It was the first time in its 65-year history that the Congress was held in Australia, and what an enormous privilege it was that the organisers chose Brisbane and Queensland to host! More than 3,000 delegates, including more than 200 chief executives from more than 50 countries, saw firsthand 12
BBMC Yearbook 2023
Photo: Anglo American
the contributions of the resources industry to this great state and the enormous opportunities still before us. Those opportunities lie in helping the world limit the impacts of climate change by reducing carbon emissions. The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable and less-polluting energy sources is driving massive demand for the raw materials needed to decarbonise our energy and industrial systems. In particular, the critical minerals needed for renewable energy generation, electric vehicles, advanced electronics and defence technologies. The International Energy Agency estimates demand from clean energy technologies for critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, silicon and rare earth elements is expected to quadruple by 2040 to meet the goals of the Paris
Agreement. This means both domestic and global decarbonisation commitments can only be achieved with significant and accelerated growth in the supply, processing, refining and manufacturing of critical minerals. A strategy for a new resources future Estimates tell us there is potentially more than $500 billion in critical mineral deposits in Queensland’s North West Minerals Province. But our ambition is to be more than an exporter of raw materials. We want to capture more of the value chain and have local processing and advanced manufacturing industries – right here in Queensland. That is why Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk unveiled the Queensland
