Glencore prepares for care and maintenance
Today, Glencore has issued a staff memo confirming it will begin preparations to place the Mount Isa Copper Smelter and Townsville Copper Refinery into care and maintenance until market conditions improve.
This decision leaves thousands of workers, families, businesses, and entire communities staring into a void of uncertainty.
The threat to 17,000 jobs is now real, immediate, and undeniable. While not unexpected, this development is deeply disappointing. It confirms that we are five minutes to midnight on the collapse of North Queensland’s copper ecosystem. This matter is urgent — but it is not too late.
Next week, Townsville Enterprise will lead a delegation to Canberra, calling for a national solution to keep our copper in North Queensland. Because this isn’t just about Mount Isa, Townsville, or even Queensland — this is about Australia’s sovereign capability. The closure of the country’s only third-party copper processing facilities means exporting our jobs, value, and critical minerals offshore.
There is no time for politics. We need a deal — now.
Message from Claudia Brumme-Smith, Townsville Enterprise CEO
“To the workers and families affected by today’s announcement — we see you, we stand with you, and we will not stop fighting for a solution to keep our copper industry alive in North Queensland.”
“It’s time for a deal – we need Glencore and all levels of government to come together now. There is no time for politics, we are talking about the livelihoods of tens of thousands of North Queenslanders. We have been hearing about the Governments and Glencore having meetings for five months, now we need to get to a solution and deal.”
“We have clear examples from Whyalla Steelworks in South Australia and Nyrstar Smelter in Tasmania, as to what Governments can do to keep smelters and refineries open in the national interest - Queensland cannot be left behind. This region and our communities are asking for no more or no less than what we have seen in other parts of the country, recognising that in those cases hundreds of jobs were at risk verses 17,000 jobs linked to the copper supply chain here in North Queensland.”
“Copper is critical to the national interest and critical to our future economies – that is why we are seeing unprecedented and growing global demand.”
“The copper ecosystem in North Queensland is a delicate house of cards. Remove the smelter or refinery, and the whole structure collapses – from regional communities and emerging mines to critical operations like Phosphate Hill’s fertiliser production.”
