INDIA NEWS
Nov 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 9
NEWS FROM QUEENSLAND
Trash to treasure: copper mine waste Runway cleared for return could hold key to renewable revolution of international students Brisbane, 26 Oct: Queensland copper mine waste could deliver a key ingredient for the renewable energy revolution thanks to a three-year international study.
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Resources Minister Scott Stewart announced a threeway agreement between the Palaszczuk Government, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation ( JOGMEC) and the University of Queensland which will examine whether cobalt – a globally-sought-after critical mineral and a key battery ingredient – can be retrieved economically from old copper mine tailings.
"It could also revolutionise how Queensland copper mines operate by turning their waste into a revenue stream.”
“Should this project yield notable results, there is potential for the technology to be shared and used in other countries and regions.”
The collaborative study will involve researchers’ samples from the tailings of Copper Resources Australia’s Rocklands copper mine near Cloncurry in north west Queensland.
Director of the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute Professor Neville Plint said reducing mine waste was a key challenge for the mining industry.
Samples will be studied at the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute and at JOGMEC’s laboratories in Japan with results shared between all three parties.
“As the industry seeks to reduce its environmental footprint there is growing interest in reusing mine waste as a secondary resource,” Professor Plint said.
“This research could help unlock the state’s potential as a major global supplier of ethically sourced cobalt and battery manufacturing right here in Queensland,” Mr Stewart said. “The Palaszczuk Government is focussed on creating more jobs for Queenslanders as part of our COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan, and this research in the new-economy minerals space is a key part of that. “Australia and Japan have a strong trade partnership and the Palaszczuk Government is proud to be working with JOGMEC and the University of Queensland. “Cobalt is a highly sought-after new economy mineral that is a key component in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and battery storage systems. “Queensland is renowned for having a large endowment of cobalt, however extracting and processing this mineral is often difficult due to costs and
The project is the first joint venture between the Palaszczuk Government and JOGMEC. In 2019 Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk re-signed a Memorandum of Understanding with JOGMEC whilst on a trade mission in Tokyo which included continued co-operation in the fields of coal, minerals and hydrogen. JOGMEC Chairman & CEO Tetsuhiro Hosono said the latest joint research project formed part of JOGMEC’s Carbon Neutral Initiative. “It is a great honour to be collaborating with the Queensland Government and University of Queensland on this exciting project,” he said. “Through this joint research, we aim to promote the effective use of unrecovered cobalt resources in Queensland and other parts of the world. “This could contribute to the stable supply of minerals that are needed for a carbon-neutral
“Through this research agreement, we have the opportunity to explore the potential to extract important critical metals from mine waste.” “We are proud to be working with the Geological Survey of Queensland and an internationally-respected group like JOGMEC to take this opportunity forward.” The study is expected to be completed by 2024 with a public report and data set. The project is part of the Government’s five-year $23 million New Economy Minerals Initiative that aims to develop, promote and understand the state’s new economy mineral wealth and potential through a broad corridor from Mt Isa to Townsville. The initiative encourages new exploration, re-investigation of old mines and probing the geological information government holds already to foster new discoveries, projects and jobs.
Queensland’s largest vaccination blitz planned Brisbane, 21 Oct: The state’s largest vaccination blitz to date will take place this weekend and anyone yet to be vaccinated is encouraged to come forward and get their first dose. The Super Saturday vaccination blitz will include pop-up vaccination clinics at up to 100 high schools across the state in addition to existing community vaccination locations. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the school popup clinics would be available across multiple regions this Saturday, with a focus on areas with low vaccination uptake. “We need Queenslanders to vaccinate before it’s too late,” the Premier said. “Vaccinations are the key to saving lives and reuniting Queenslanders with their friends and family. “We’re working hard to make it as quick and easy as possible for all Queenslanders to get vaccinated. “That’s why we’re establishing vaccination clinics at dozens of schools right throughout the state. “Super Saturday is our largest vaccine push to date. If you’ve been saying you’ll just wait
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a bit before getting the vaccine – it’s time for you to come forward and get vaccinated now.” Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said earlier this month, the state established pop-up clinics at 18 schools, administering 4500 doses over two days. “We’ve given you the vaccination targets and dates we’re working towards to open Queensland’s borders so you can see your family and friends – and Queenslanders have the power to bring those dates forward if more people get vaccinated sooner. “We want anyone aged 12 and over who is yet to be vaccinated to come to any of our vaccination clinics, walk in and get the jab this Saturday you don’t need an appointment. “Remember it takes at least five weeks to be fully protected from the vaccine. “We cannot be complacent. Just because COVID-19 may not have reached your community yet does not mean it won’t. “We need more of our regional Queenslanders to get vaccinated now to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities.
“The vaccine is the best way to protect yourself against serious illness from COVID-19 and it is key to charting a course through the next stages of the pandemic. “However, you don’t have to wait until this weekend to get vaccinated. You can access our current community vaccination centres leading up to the weekend, with many locations open seven days a week.” Ms D’Ath said the vaccination blitz was part of the effort to offer vaccinations where people lived, worked, learned, shopped and played, and make vaccination as easy and convenient as possible. Education Minister Grace Grace said she was excited to partner with her health colleagues again this weekend to increase vaccine uptake. “We hope that many of Queensland’s students aged 12 and over, their families, their neighbours, and friends, will come forward and get vaccinated this Saturday to protect themselves and their community,” the Minister said. “Thank you to all those schools who are supporting Queensland’s vaccination efforts this Saturday.”
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Brisbane, 26 Oct: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the return of international students to study in Queensland in 2022. They’ll be the first to use the Regional Quarantine Facility at Wellcamp. The Premier said Wellcamp provides the perfect solution so that the students do not displace returning Australian citizens and residents. There are two other conditions: • A proportion of students must study at universities outside of Brisbane
• Priority will be given to medical and health students who will work for Queensland health The Premier said the decision is a win-win. “This is why we went it alone to make Wellcamp a reality,” the Premier said. “It gives Queensland an opportunity other states don’t have.” The decision is a lifeline for the state’s universities. Before the pandemic, Queensland’s international education sector was worth an estimated $5.8 billion. The Wellcamp facility is under construction at Wellcamp Airport. Tourism, Innovation and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said 20,000 students enrolled with a Queensland university had been studying offshore. “While remote learning has made it possible for students to continue Queensland university studies from their home countries, we recognise it isn’t a sustainable, long-term substitute for to face-to-face tutorials and practical experience. “We also know international students make an important contribution to the culture of Queensland cities and our regions. “International students are an important source of workers for many businesses in Queensland’s regional and metropolitan areas.
“The absence of international students has been particularly felt in the rural, hospitality and tourism industries.”
Mr Hinchliffe said the Palaszczuk Government had sent Queensland’s Student Arrivals Plan to the Federal Government in response to the Commonwealth’s Protocols and Preconditions for International Student Arrivals. “Queenslanders have worked hard on managing the health impacts of this pandemic and our number one priority remains their safety,” Mr Hinchliffe said. “One of big lessons from the pandemic is Covid-19’s unpredictable ability to mutate. “So far there are four dominant variants, and we don’t know if and when there could a fifth, which is what makes Wellcamp and its proximity to an international airport critical to our International Student Arrivals plan. “This plan is the first phase of scaling up from semester one and seeing more students return to Queensland over time.” Professor Sandra Harding, Vice Chancellor and President of James Cook University, and Chair of the Queensland Vice Chancellor Committee, said the sector had worked collaboratively with the State Government. “We are delighted the State Government has progressed plans to bring back international students,” Professor Harding said. “These students have been studying online for almost two years waiting to return to Queensland and many of them need to undertake important practical assessments to complete their studies. “International students are such a vibrant part of all of our campuses and communities, and we look forward to welcoming them back to our state.”
Crikey! – it’s time to get vaxxed now Brisbane, 20 Oct: Queenslanders are being encouraged to visit the state’s zoos, wildlife parks and aquariums as the Palaszczuk Government continues to roll out the COVID-vaccine plan to unite families. Speaking at Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said animal exhibitors played an important part in wildlife education and conservation in Queensland. “As we approach the summer school holidays, we want to see more visitors to locations like Australia Zoo as well as the countless wildlife parks and aquariums across the state,” he said.
“That’s why Queensland’s COVIDvaccine plan is so importantthe more Queenslanders are vaccinated, the safer we’ll all be. “The plan includes greater freedoms for people who are fully vaccinated and that means more visitors to wildlife parks, zoos and aquariums in Queensland.” Minister Furner said the Palaszczuk Government has been a strong supporter of Queensland’s animal exhibitors since the COVID-19 global pandemic. “The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries oversees the licensing of exhibited animals from zoos to aquariums and even mobile exhibits and circuses,” he said.
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