Overview

• Australia’s ambassador said the country is ready to help President Trump reduce U.S. reliance on Chinese processing, noting recent White House meetings with BHP and Rio Tinto.
• He described critical minerals as defence goods and cited roughly 4.5 tonnes of highly processed materials in a Virginia‑class submarine, with additional needs for platforms like the F‑35.
• Rudd pointed to policy moves including talks on pricing certainty such as a potential price floor, a planned national strategic reserve, and significant public support for downstream processing.
• He highlighted investment measures including $17 billion in tax incentives, a $3.4 billion Geoscience Australia program, a $1.65 billion loan to Iluka for a lithium processing facility, and financing via the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility.
• Rudd noted ongoing U.S. project activity involving Australian firms, including BHP and Rio’s Resolution Copper venture now facing a court injunction, and he said Canberra is discussing tariff relief with Washington.