The Minerals Council of Australia certainly think so, as reported in australianmining.com
They are trying to convince the Victorian Government that they are sitting on some critical minerals that there is insatiable demand for throughout the world.
A demand created by electric vehicles, renewable energy components and modern technology.
MCA Victoria’s executive director, James Sorahan said, “Victoria has the potential to supply mineral sands, rare earths, copper, antimony and gold, generating enormous economic benefits to regional areas and creating additional revenue streams for the state. More mines mean more revenue.”
The submission calls for the state government to prioritise:
• improving approvals timeframes by building capacity in Resources Victoria to speed up approvals
• promoting critical minerals projects, discoveries and processing technologies
• reforming Victoria’s gold royalty to remove regressive elements
• to not impose new taxes, rates or charges on mining and exploration
• building a skills pipeline through a regional skills package.
The MCA also suggests the requirement for focussed education as part of building a stronger mining workforce, introducing more earth science courses at a secondary and tertiary level.
How much of these proposals will be taken on board by the Victorian Government remains to be seen, but there is no doubt that the potential for Victoria given today’s soaring demand for these minerals is enormous.
Link here to the full article.