The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has made a submission to the Federal Parliament’s inquiry into the factors shaping social licence and economic development outcomes in critical minerals projects across Australia.
In the submission, the MCA shows that mining has a strong track record of delivering high wages and lower unemployment in regions where it operates.
According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), unemployment rates are 3.58% lower than the Australian average of 5.1% in regions such as Mount Isa and Isaac in Queensland, Broken Hill in New South Wales, and East Pilbara and Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia.
The median income is also $33,000 higher in mining regions, totalling $74,490, in comparison to the Australian average of $41,860.
The MCA says in towns with a fine line between viability and decline with small population bases, limited housing, stretched health and education services, and high infrastructure costs, critical minerals development can be a stabilising force.
“Long-life mining is the stable foundation that makes every other development pathway possible, helping communities to grow, services to remain viable, and local businesses to invest with confidence,” the Minerals Council says.
The submission outlines a range of practical, shovel-ready policy measures including strengthening planning, environmental, and project approval systems. This ensures that critical minerals and major mineral projects can progress from approval into construction within commercially realistic time frames that maintain regional employment, business confidence, and service viability.
It also outlines reforming the Native Title Act 1993 future acts framework, so minerals investment can proceed at scale through proportionate, fit-for-purpose agreement pathways that support long-term economic participation for Traditional Owners.
The submission also outlines measures including aligning national and state workforce, training and migration settings, expanding targeting capability programs that enable local and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, and coordinating federal, state, and local infrastructure planning.
The MCA notes that ensuring cross-jurisdictional policy alignment on planning, land access, workforce development, and regional service delivery provides more consistent and predictable operating conditions.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Minerals Council of Australia
