Mineral resources stocktake reinforces Australia's strengths

Australia’s role as a reliable supplier of critical minerals has been bolstered with the latest Geoscience Australia stocktake of mineral resources. The 2025 edition of Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources (AIMR) shows strong growth in exploration, production and economic potential for critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy and modern defence and national security applications.

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said the latest data highlights Australia’s world-class geological endowment and the strength of the nation’s resources sector.

“Australia’s diverse geology and abundant mineral resources continue to underpin our economic and national security while supporting secure global supply chains with our strategic partners,” she said. “Critical minerals and rare earth elements are vital to high technology manufacturing, defence applications, and clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles.

“The latest edition of Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources shows we are well placed to support the transition to net zero, and to help build more secure global supply chains to support manufacturing and national security for Australia and our trading partners.”

Western Australia’s Minister for Mines and Petroleum David Michael launched the AIMR publication at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) convention in Toronto, where he is leading a delegation of Australian critical minerals companies.

“The PDAC conference is the world’s premier mining and exploration event, attracting around 30,000 attendees from around the world,” he said. “Western Australia is a trusted, ethical and reliable supplier of resources to the world and home to valuable deposits of critical minerals, which are essential to the global energy transition, defence and advanced manufacturing.”

The AIMR publication found 11 critical minerals recorded significant increases in Economic Demonstrated Resources, including fluorine, graphite, high purity alumina, rare earth elements and antimony.

Highlights from AIMR 2025 include:

• Australia retained its number one global ranking for resources of gold, iron ore, lead, rutile, uranium, vanadium, zinc, zircon and added ilmenite.
• Production of critical minerals used for hard steels increased for tungsten by more than 90% and molybdenum by 59%.
• Australia had the world’s third largest resources or rare earths elements (8%), and was the world’s third largest producer (also 8%) in 2024.
• Lithium production increased by 14% in 2024, platinum group elements by 12%, and rare earth elements by 7%.
   

King said the Albanese government is committed to cementing the nation’s position as a global resources leader.

“Our $3.4 billion Resourcing Australia’s Prosperity initiative, led by Geoscience Australia, is a long-term investment in precompetitive geoscience, providing the information needed to accelerate discovery and development of Australia’s resources,” King said.

The AIMR digital publication is available at https://www.ga.gov.au/aimr2025.

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