General News
14 May, 2025
Mount Isa smelter is a 'priority', says Mines Minister
Minister for Resources adn Mines Dale Last says the Queensland government doesn't want the smelter to close.
Dale Last says the future of the Mount Isa copper smelter remains a priority for the state government.
The Minister for Resources and Mines was in Mount Isa last week for the North West MPX mining conference and said that safeguarding the city’s future was at the top of his list.
“Look, (Glencore) has a business to run; they made that very clear,” he said of his meeting with Premier David Crisafulli, Treasurer David Janetzki and Glencore CEO Gary Nagle in Brisbane earlier this month.
“By the same token, we’re committed to keeping this community alive and sustainable. And so those discussions have been ongoing for quite some time.
“This is a priority issue for me.
“We are looking for a real commitment from Glencore that they are going to move ahead with the development of the Black Star Open Cut. If that was to occur as early as next year, then that would help secure a lot of jobs.
“By the same token, we’re making sure that we fast track the approvals for (Harmony’s Eva Copper Project) and do everything we can to get it up and running as soon as we can, because we understand that the volume of concentrate that they can provide out of that mine would go a long way to keeping the smelter here operational.”
Member for Traeger Robbie Katter said the government’s priority should be to protect Mount Isa and Queenslanders over protecting an overseas-based company.
“Glencore have come out and have sought to remind Queenslanders that their Swiss boardroom control the destiny of mineral production in this state, while at the same time threatening the continued operation of our copper smelter and Townsville’s refinery – a serious threat to thousands of Queensland jobs” the MP said.
“The people of Queensland remind Mr Nagle, that every mineral that he touches belongs to the Queensland people, and it’s only at our invitation that he mines here.
“All we have seen is utter disregard for Queensland’s best interest from Glencore, and it really calls into question whether they should be allowed to mine anything in Queensland – including coal.”
Mr Last there was one positive to come from the government’s meeting with the Glencore boss – the company had agreed to allow third-party operators to process its copper tailings.
“This is a significant opportunity to unlock additional value in the region, again having the potential to create jobs and work for contractors,” the Minister said.
“In addition, the George Fisher mine is currently in the process of ramping up production.
“The government is continuing to engage with Glencore to resolve all matters ... but these are signs that Glencore, like many others, recognises the message that the Crisafulli government is sending loud and clear: Queensland is open for business.”
RAIL DEAL STRUCK
ROCK phosphate producers, such as the Ardmore mine near Dajarra, will benefit from a Queensland Rail incentive package to reduce access charges on the Mount Isa line, it was announced last week.
Mr Last said the measure was expected to increase freight volumes and support new entrants in the market.
“This will result in significant savings for emerging rock phosphate producers. For example, a rock phosphate operator transporting 200 thousand tonnes per year could potentially save close to $2 million annually,” he said.
“We know that some operators are sailing pretty close to the wind, but what this will do is help ease that financial burden and sends a signal that we are listening.
“We need to make that rail network more efficient, we recognise that, the (Transport) Minister recognises that, and certainly I know he’s doing some work in that space at the moment.”
Mr Katter urged the government to come up with a long-term fix.
“The announcement is welcome, however we need to get to the root cause of the prohibitive access arrangements applied to the Mount Isa rail line,” he said.
“The government is pointing in the right direction, but we need more than just cash to subsidise producers – we need to totally reform the settings for the Mount Isa line, which systematically disincentivises usage of rail for bulk ore transport.”