English NewsSunday, 15 November 2026
Latest
Arrest warrant issued after absence from coastal statue caseTwo respondents summoned over alleged breach of online-posting orderLandslide alerts cover parts of seven districts until November 12 eveningUnregistered shop signs removed along Adampan main roadCocaine case involving three defendants set for January 25 pre-trial conferenceMirissa guide says viral boat video showed play between friendsWhat could a change of government in Israel mean for relations with India?Sri Lanka keeps electricity tariffs unchanged for final quarterFive-working-day business registration pilot begins in selected Sri Lanka divisionsDrone taxi project takes flight at Colombo Port CityPooja Hegde draws crowds at Colombo fashion-store openingMinistry explains private fuel price flexibility and plans 72 CPC stations
Australia

Mount Isa minerals research plan wins A$965,000 feasibility funding

2026-11-14

Illustrative stock photograph, not the reported people, event or location.

A proposed critical minerals research centre in Mount Isa has secured A$965,000 for feasibility work, with the Australian and Queensland governments each committing A$241,250 and the city council contributing A$482,500. The funding announced on November 13 supports investigation of the proposal. It does not approve the estimated A$145 million construction budget or mean the centre is already operating.

The council and the University of Queensland developed the business case for a facility near Mount Isa Airport, between the airport and George Fisher Mine. Companies could use it to examine rock samples, identify the minerals present and test how those minerals might be extracted. The proposal covers metallurgical testing, pilot work and treatment of critical minerals and rare earth elements, bringing some early technical work closer to the deposits.

University of Queensland Sustainable Minerals Institute director Rick Valenta said samples currently sent elsewhere in Queensland, Australia or overseas can create costs and delays. A local centre could help establish what a deposit contains and whether processing is viable before a developer tries to scale up. If the project proceeds, initial testing in Mount Isa would connect with small-scale pilot work in Mackay and larger trials in Townsville.

The proposal forms part of Mount Isa's search for a broader economic base after its underground copper mine closed in July 2025, with nearly 500 jobs lost in a community of about 19,000. Around 85 critical minerals projects are under way in the wider North West Minerals Province, according to the account of the proposal. The business case estimates up to 50 permanent jobs if the centre is developed; that is a projection, not employment already created.

Mayor Peta MacRae said the aim is to retain more research and processing value locally rather than only extract material and send it away. Federal Assistant Minister for Resources Anthony Chisholm described the next task as proving the opportunity and attracting industry investment. The feasibility study remains the immediate step: construction and operation depend on later decisions and funding. The mineral-specimen photograph is illustrative and does not show a Mount Isa sample or the proposed centre.

More Australia news