North Queensland’s copper industry needs urgent Federal and State Government intervention to protect 17,000 local jobs and ensure the future of a vital piece of economic and national security infrastructure, the 2025 Townsville Enterprise Mining and Critical Minerals Forum will be told today.
The warning comes as the forum, which brings together political, industry and business leaders, is staged amid growing global competition and concerns relating to Australia’s national security and sovereign manufacturing capabilities.
Copper is fast becoming the "new oil" in a world racing towards decarbonisation.
With global powers such as China and the United States aggressively securing critical mineral supply chains, North Queensland finds itself in the middle of a 21st-century resource arms race.
There can be no clean energy transition without copper, and North Queensland is uniquely positioned to meet this global demand.
However, the clock is ticking for region’s copper smelter in Mount Isa and refinery in Townsville to stay open, with closure planned as soon as the end of the year.
Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith said safeguarding the future of copper in the North must be treated as a strategic national priority.
“The North West Minerals Province is a national asset,” Ms Brumme-Smith said.
“At stake right now is a regional ecosystem responsible for more than 17,000 jobs and contributing 16 per cent to North and North West Queensland’s Gross Regional Product.
“The future of Mount Isa’s copper smelter, Townsville’s copper refinery, and a broader corridor of interconnected mining and processing operations is on the line.”
Ms Brumme-Smith said any loss of copper-producing capacity would have nation-wide impacts.
“This shouldn’t be viewed through just a regional lens, copper is the new oil and if we miss the opportunity to safeguard our own critical minerals we are walking away as a country from sovereign manufacturing and closing the door on our ability to decarbonise,” she said.
“Copper mining and manufacturing is critical to developing electric vehicles, wind turbines, energy storage and solar panels.
“With the right policy and investment settings, North Queensland can position Australia as a global leader in the production of critical minerals needed to modernise economies, industries and defence capabilities.
“But without decisive action, we risk a devastating domino effect that could dismantle our entire copper supply chain.
“We must act now to ensure the North remains internationally competitive, particularly as distorted global markets and foreign subsidies make it increasingly difficult for Australia to keep pace.
“Copper demand is predicted to double in coming decades, but we can’t compete with the status quo.
“We need enabling infrastructure like CopperString, processing facilities, and affordable access to road, rail, and port services to unlock our potential.
“North Queensland has the resources, the geography and the will—but we need our governments to help write the next chapter, not leave it to foreign superpowers to shape our future.”
Mount Isa City Council Mayor Peta McRae, whose community sits at the heart of the North West Minerals Province, said her region was open for business.
“In Mount Isa mining and manufacturing is in our blood – it shaped our past and will undoubtedly shape our future,” she said.
“Copper is the key to securing our future, and I am 100 per cent committed to that future being one of prosperity for these industries, but also equally for our towns that service them.
“If our core industries grow, Mount Isa grows – we need governments to prioritise the North West corridor as a mecca for mining that international and domestic operators want to flock to, compete for and compensate our region based on what we have to offer them.
“Processing, manufacturing and value-adding are all part of the broader mining process of our region – without mines, there is no smelter in Mount Isa, without the smelter, there is no refinery in Townsville and if we’re not mining, smelting or refining, then we’re not using our port to the extent we should or could be.
“If just one of these components go down, it all goes down in the North West.
“The government, both State and Federal, need to address this bigger picture and play their part to make the North West as attractive as possible so we can have stability restore to our region and can reap the benefits for decades to come.”
Glen Connell, Executive General Manager with Harmony Gold, which is the developer of the Eva Copper Mine Project 70km northwest of Cloncurry, said the North West region boasted the kinds of minerals that global markets were demanding.
He said once in operation, the Eva project would produce on average 55,000 to 60,000 tonnes of copper annually for a minimum of 15 years, supporting 450 long-term jobs.
“Eva Copper is a proud North Queensland project that, subject to a Final Investment Decision by the Company, will be an important long-term economic driver for the region and supplier of copper that is essential to the net zero transition” Mr Connell said.
“Our project is part of an integrated supply chain that is of real value to the North West and North Queensland more broadly, utilising and supporting vital infrastructure in the region”.
Mr Connell said power supply remained an important issue for miners in the region.
“Reliable, low-cost power is a key component for any major investment and CopperString is the preferred power solution for the Eva Copper Mine Project,” he said.
“In the meantime, we plan to utilise an interim power solution to allow us to commence production as soon as possible.”
