Australia’s transition to a secure, sustainable critical minerals industry relies not only on national policy settings but on the capacity of regions to activate their industrial ecosystems. The Mackay and Greater Whitsunday Roadmap to Establishing a Critical Minerals Processing and Services Hub (Greater Whitsunday Alliance, 2026) demonstrates how a mature mining equipment, technology and services (METS) hub can reposition itself as a globally relevant processing and services centre, supporting national ambitions while driving regional diversification. Situated at the heart of the Bowen Basin, the Greater Whitsunday region offers unmatched advantages: the southern hemisphere’s highest density of METS firms, emerging pilot scale processing capability through the Critical Minerals Flexi-Lab, and a rapidly developing skills and innovation precinct at the Resources Centre of Excellence and Isaac Resources Excellence Precinct (IREP). Together, these assets form a foundation for downstream processing, mine waste reprocessing, and postmining land-use innovation. The roadmap outlines a cohesive, partnership centred model grounded in four themes essential to regional development: 1. Skills pipelines and workforce transition, leveraging transferable METS expertise and new training pathways to build capability for critical minerals processing. 2. Regulatory and approvals readiness, with streamlined local planning settings to attract junior miners, innovators and investment. 3. Postmining land use as an economic driver, including recovery of critical minerals from tailings and rehabilitation-led development opportunities. 4. Institutional collaboration, through the proposed Australian Centre for Critical Minerals Intelligence (ACCMI), linking regional infrastructure with national R&D and global supply chain partners. This presentation will showcase how the roadmap operationalises these elements through targeted, low risk, high impact actions designed for rapid implementation. It offers a replicable blueprint for regional Australia: one that accelerates sovereign capability, unlocks circular economy opportunities, and ensures communities benefit from the next wave of resource-sector transformation.