This new strategy is a crucial document that provides the framework for the critical minerals and high-tech metals mining industry. It will include a sharper focus on domestic manufacturing, skills and training opportunities.
Minister for natural resources, Courtney Houssos, said the strategy will ensure NSW is able to realise the gains of the next mining boom.
“NSW is uniquely positioned to support global supply of critical minerals with our diverse mix of critical mineral and high-tech metal deposits and capacity to promote domestic processing and manufacturing,” she said.
“I’m excited by the opportunities created by critical minerals in NSW. The new strategy will ensure the state is able to best realise the gains of the next mining boom,” Houssos said.
The consultation on the NSW Critical Minerals and High-Tech Metals Strategy aims to ensure new opportunities to create more local jobs, develop skills and training opportunities, support NSW’s strong environmental, social and corporate governance position and among other things, create additional certainty for the industry.
Houssos said the NSW government will consider how boosted skills and “training opportunities throughout the state can drive the industry. Critical minerals mining requires a skilled labour force and that means more, high-paying jobs for people in regional NSW,”
“Our ability to leverage the state’s natural abundance of materials to create employment opportunities and economic growth will be the best measure of our success,” she said.
The NSW Government will conduct a series of consultation meetings with key stakeholders, including mining companies, industry representatives, investors and workers.