- The Crisafulli Government launches up to $4 million investment to map critical minerals across 40,000km in North-West Queensland.
- The survey will help drive new exploration and investment decisions in Queensland’s resources sector.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering a plan for North Queensland’s future and restoring confidence in the State’s critical minerals sector after Labor’s anti-mining policies stalled investment.
Queensland’s critical minerals industry is set to reach new heights with the Crisafulli Government launching Australia’s largest high-resolution regional Airborne Gravity Gradiometry (AGG) survey covering 40,000 kilometres across North-West Queensland.
A Cessna aircraft will fly survey lines 100 metres above the ground to collect high-resolution gravity data north of Mount Isa.
The geophysical data collected will be used to inform the geology beneath the surface and identify areas with potential for critical mineral exploration.
The up to $4 million project is the biggest regional survey of this resolution in Australia and is being delivered in collaboration with Geoscience Australia.
It comes following the Crisafulli Government’s introduction of new legislation in Parliament this week to fast-track the next wave of critical minerals development by streamlining regulatory pathways.
The project highlights Queensland’s world-class critical minerals and will create new opportunities for industry once the data becomes publicly available.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said the investment demonstrated Queensland’s commitment to progressing the critical minerals sector and would help to identify new exploration areas.
“The high-resolution survey is the first of this scale in Australia and will provide valuable data to guide new exploration and mining opportunities across North-West Queensland,” Minister Last said.
“Queensland is home to 51 of the world’s most sought-after critical minerals and the Crisafulli Government continues to deliver practical improvements to the sector to remove barriers for explorers and new development.
“We’re investing up to $4 million in this program to ensure explorers have access to the data they need to drive new mining projects, create more jobs, and unlock the full potential of Queensland’s world-class resources.
“The Crisafulli Government is delivering a stable regulatory and operating environment for the critical minerals industry alongside projects like the Queensland Resources Common User Facility to de-risk and accelerate new development.
“After years of Labor inaction left resource projects languishing, the Crisafulli Government is returning investor confidence and ensuring Queensland is well positioned to meet skyrocketing global demand for critical minerals.”
Association of Mining and Exploration Companies CEO Warran Pearce said high-quality pre-competitive geoscience data was fundamental to unlocking Queensland’s mineral potential.
“By providing a reliable baseline, it allows explorers to focus their investment where it matters most, reducing duplication, lowering upfront costs, and accelerating discovery,” Mr Pearce said.
“Better data means more targeted exploration, helping lower costs while minimising impacts on landholders and the environment.
“Making this data publicly available levels the playing field for explorers of all sizes, encourages competition and innovation, and ensures smarter, lower-impact exploration across Queensland. It’s a critical step in building a sustainable and responsible resources sector.”
