Submission to Federal Parliament: AusIMM the trusted voice for professionals on regional economic growth
AusIMM has made a submission to the Federal Parliament’s Inquiry into Creating Sustainable Economic Growth in Rural and Regional Australia.
At a time of historic technological advancement and geopolitical change, our submission focusses on the role mining and METS can play as the anchor-point for broader industrial diversification and regional economic development. We focus on three key areas to deliver diverse, resilient communities that capture a greater share of the minerals value chain:
- Regional Industrial Hubs: Establishing nationally coordinated, regionally adapted hubs that leverage mineral production, processing, and manufacturing as the anchor point for an expanded industrial, research and training ecosystem.
- Product Integrity and Sustainable Supply Chains: Investing to lift environmental, social, and governance (ESG) capability and supporting industry-led certification frameworks to reinforce Australia's competitive position as a high-quality, sustainable producer.
- Professional Skills and Industry Capability: Investing in regional 'centres of excellence' to combine education and industry-led activities that build the niche skillsets required to move downstream and into advanced fields of agricultural production, defence, energy and other technologies.
Minerals, especially those critical minerals relied on for a range of technological applications, will play as significant a role in today’s economy and geopolitical landscape as oil did in the twentieth century. A well-coordinated, regionally focussed approach will not only make the most of our sector’s rapidly expanding technical capability and position the nation for greater economic dynamism, but help set up local communities for stable, sustainable economic prosperity.
AusIMM has a unique and vital role to play in public debate and policy discussion about the future of our sector as a community of professionals with world-leading expertise and a commitment to delivering genuine community benefit through their work.
As a next step, AusIMM will be actively briefing Committee members and Parliamentarians on the specific recommendations within the submission. We look forward to providing further updates on the outcomes of this engagement and the progress of our advocacy work to advance the professional excellence of our sector.
You can read the full submission including detailed recommendations here.