Reform it, don't just save it: Katters demand confidence for the North West
“This place needs to be allowed to play its role as the industry powerhouse for the state and national economy,” the Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger, Robbie Katter has said while in Mount Isa today.
Flanked by the Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, Mr Katter doubled down on calls for all levels of government to prevent Glencore from sitting on Australian critical minerals.
“The Prime Minister has said that the centre point of tariff negotiations with Trump are critical minerals,” he said.
“Well, the North West Minerals Province is Australia's trump card.
“It shows how out of touch Canberra and Brisbane are when you have on the same day, the Prime Minister touting our critical minerals and you have Glencore announcing they’re closing Mount Isa Mine and threatening to close the smelter – all due to energy prices.
“You simply can’t have a critical minerals future in Australia without CopperString and a functioning copper mine and smelter at Mount Isa.
“Australia’s sovereignty and international bargaining chip is being held to ransom by a Swiss-based global commodities trader, the Prime Minister must act urgently to defend what is rightly ours,” Mr Katter said.
The Member for Traeger called for new thinking in how to keep a copper smelter serving the whole region.
“We don’t want saving, we want reform. “We want arrangements such as an equity share or a new common user smelter, not cash handouts to Glencore. We need a special economic zone out here, and CopperString completed.
“We need confidence for the whole region and Australia’s critical mineral future that there will be industrial capacity – not left to be pending an arbitrary decision from the profit hungry Glencore’s boardroom.
“It’s immature of all governments to allow our nation’s sovereignty to be at stake,” the Member for Traeger said.
The Member for Kennedy echoed his calls to keep the Mount Isa Mine open.
“I will be doing everything humanly possible, even during this election period, to make sure the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader commit to keeping the mine and smelter open and securing our future wealth,” he said.
“Any money given will not be given to a foreign corporation as a gift. It will be to ensure an ownership role in the smelter,” the Member for Kennedy said.
The Member for Traeger also reiterated that CopperString’s completion was essential for any future for the North West.
“Firstly, cost figures of $14 billion are just so outrageous they’re laughable,” he said.
“I’ve had very reputable project builders confirm to me that the figure should be much more like four to five billion, today.
“PowerLink and others are out in the public domain squabbling about costs, with clear mismanagement to date, but the new Queensland government just need to tell us out here when it’s going to be built, and how projects can connect,” he said.
“Get that out of the road, and we have a Little Eva Copper, we have a copper smelter, we have more volume.
“We need all levels of government to step up and take charge of our State and Nation’s future, and we need them to do it now,” Mr Katter said.
ENDS
