❓ The Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade responds to a question regarding the McGowan Labor government's collaboration with the federal Albanese government to support critical minerals projects in WA, particularly in Collie-Preston, highlighting federal funding allocations and job creation in the Collie region.
AnsweredQoN 332Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CRITICAL
MINERALS PROJECTS
332. Ms J.L. HANNS to the Minister for State Development,
Jobs and Trade:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to
drive WA's clean energy transition.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how the McGowan Labor government is working with the
federal Albanese government to support the development of new critical minerals
projects across WA, including in the Collie–Preston region?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house what these projects mean for local jobs in the Collie
region?
MINERALS PROJECTS
332. Ms J.L. HANNS to the Minister for State Development,
Jobs and Trade:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to
drive WA's clean energy transition.
(1) Can the
minister advise the house how the McGowan Labor government is working with the
federal Albanese government to support the development of new critical minerals
projects across WA, including in the Collie–Preston region?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house what these projects mean for local jobs in the Collie
region?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question and congratulate her on
the terrific announcement today by the federal government. It is another
indication of the McGowan government's determination for a just
transition for the Collie community and the Collie economy.
(1)–(2)
Today we saw a significant show of support from the federal government through
the federal critical minerals development program in our efforts to diversify
Collie's economy and secure long-term jobs in the town and the region. Western
Australia has taken the lion's share of grants under the second tranche
of the critical minerals development program, with seven of the 13 projects
funded and nearly $30 million out of the $50 million allocated right here in Western
Australia.
I
also take the opportunity to acknowledge the great work of the Minister for
Mines and Petroleum; Energy in his role as chair of the battery and
energy storage strategy group and in the development of our future batteries
and critical minerals industries. Two of the projects announced today include a
$6.2 million allocation for Magnium Australia's large-scale magnesium
refinery in Collie and $4.7 million has been allocated to International
Graphite to advance its Springdale Collie graphite mine-to-market project. This
money will help both those projects take significant steps. The important point
is that these grants are on top of the initial project funding work that was
undertaken by the McGowan government in its leadership around the just
transition. The McGowan government has committed a total of $7.28 million to
the Magnium project over three funding rounds of $280 000 in 2021; $2 million
from the Collie industrial transition fund, recently in 2023; and $5 million
from the Collie industrial transition fund for the establishment of the Collie pilot project. In addition, $2 million was
committed to the Collie Futures industry development fund in 2021 to
support International Graphite establish its graphite micronising plant in
Collie, which was officially opened in November 2022.
These are important projects. They
are about how we will continue to grow the advanced manufacturing capacity of Western
Australia and how we will continue to transition our economy to a new energy
future. It is the leadership of the McGowan government that has allowed these
grants to be made today and they build on the important foundational work the
government has done.
We are about to enter the biggest
transition that will introduce the most profound changes to our economy since
gold was discovered in the Kimberley in 1885. It will leave no lives untouched
in terms of what we will be doing in the
future to decarbonise our economy, to diversify the economy as the Premier
mentioned in his earlier answer, and as we continue to go to a decarbonised
future. This is an exciting development and it is great to see that the federal
government understands that Western Australia is not only the engine room of
the Australian economy today, it will be the engine room of the future economy
of this country. I am really excited by these allocations of funds. They are
very important. Congratulations, member. We will see the transition in Collie
taking large steps from here on in. It means that the current workforce there
will have great jobs for the future.
the terrific announcement today by the federal government. It is another
indication of the McGowan government's determination for a just
transition for the Collie community and the Collie economy.
(1)–(2)
Today we saw a significant show of support from the federal government through
the federal critical minerals development program in our efforts to diversify
Collie's economy and secure long-term jobs in the town and the region. Western
Australia has taken the lion's share of grants under the second tranche
of the critical minerals development program, with seven of the 13 projects
funded and nearly $30 million out of the $50 million allocated right here in Western
Australia.
I
also take the opportunity to acknowledge the great work of the Minister for
Mines and Petroleum; Energy in his role as chair of the battery and
energy storage strategy group and in the development of our future batteries
and critical minerals industries. Two of the projects announced today include a
$6.2 million allocation for Magnium Australia's large-scale magnesium
refinery in Collie and $4.7 million has been allocated to International
Graphite to advance its Springdale Collie graphite mine-to-market project. This
money will help both those projects take significant steps. The important point
is that these grants are on top of the initial project funding work that was
undertaken by the McGowan government in its leadership around the just
transition. The McGowan government has committed a total of $7.28 million to
the Magnium project over three funding rounds of $280 000 in 2021; $2 million
from the Collie industrial transition fund, recently in 2023; and $5 million
from the Collie industrial transition fund for the establishment of the Collie pilot project. In addition, $2 million was
committed to the Collie Futures industry development fund in 2021 to
support International Graphite establish its graphite micronising plant in
Collie, which was officially opened in November 2022.
These are important projects. They
are about how we will continue to grow the advanced manufacturing capacity of Western
Australia and how we will continue to transition our economy to a new energy
future. It is the leadership of the McGowan government that has allowed these
grants to be made today and they build on the important foundational work the
government has done.
We are about to enter the biggest
transition that will introduce the most profound changes to our economy since
gold was discovered in the Kimberley in 1885. It will leave no lives untouched
in terms of what we will be doing in the
future to decarbonise our economy, to diversify the economy as the Premier
mentioned in his earlier answer, and as we continue to go to a decarbonised
future. This is an exciting development and it is great to see that the federal
government understands that Western Australia is not only the engine room of
the Australian economy today, it will be the engine room of the future economy
of this country. I am really excited by these allocations of funds. They are
very important. Congratulations, member. We will see the transition in Collie
taking large steps from here on in. It means that the current workforce there
will have great jobs for the future.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.