General News
11 June, 2025
Mayor has faith in Premier, Prime Minister to secure city's future
Peta MacRae is confident there will be a support package for the Mount Isa smelter and community.
Premier David Crisafulli is lobbying the Albanese government for a joint state and federal government rescue package to secure the future of the North West resource supply chain, says Mayor Peta MacRae.
Cr MacRae met with Mr Crisafulli at the weekend where she said she was informed that the Premier planned to again meet with his federal government counterparts, as well as Glencore officials, this week.
While the early focus of discussions had been on the copper smelter, Cr MacRae said she believed the Premier was now actively looking for a solution that would benefit the entire North West supply chain.
“I think the combined advocacy of Mount Isa City Council, the state member (Robbie Katter), the federal member (Bob Katter), was well as MITEZ (Mount Isa Townsville Economic Zone) and TEL (Townsville Enterprise Limited) has really hammered home the point that we live in a complex ecosystem and we can’t just prop up a single part of the supply chain – it needs to be looked at as a whole,” she said.
“I know everyone wants to see an outcome and our lobbying has been focussed on creating some sort of special economic zone or emergency rescue package that will look to fix the operating conditions in the whole of our region.
“We know it is not much good having a smelter if you don’t have the ore coming from the tier two and tier three miners.
“It is also not much good having the ore when we don’t have the sovereign capacity or capability to be able to smelt it and value-add locally.
“These are extraordinary economic times due to the current economic conditions, and we know that it is really tough for Glencore at the moment, so it is not entirely their fault, but we need to come up with a package that not just helps Glencore but instead improves operating conditions for all parties involved and will further encourage development in our area.
“I think there is a very good understanding of that.”
Cr MacRae said any rescue package would require commitments from both state and federal governments.
“The state is in charge of the royalites and the state is in charge of gas and electricity, and we are looking for assistance on these issues,” she said.
“The federal government is in charge of taxation – so if we are going to get some sort of rescue package that will help the entire region then it will need to involve both state and federal governments.”
Cr MacRae said the council continued to also lobby for funding to develop the proposed The Australian Critical Minerals Industrial Precinct (TACMIP), touted for a site between Mount Isa Airport and Glencore’s George Fisher Mine.
“We are working with Glencore to have the necessary land excised from their mining lease and then as soon as we have land tenure, we will be applying for funding to develop the TACMIP,” she said.