Hundreds of regional jobs unlocked by Queensland Critical Minerals Fund investment

• Up to 200 construction jobs and 60 ongoing roles in North West Queensland supported by one of the first investments from the Crisafulli Government's strengthened $250 million Queensland Critical Minerals Fund.
• $20 million investment will unlock one of Queensland’s biggest untapped critical mineral deposits.
• The Crisafulli Government is open for business and delivering more jobs and better services through a stronger economy after Labor’s saw anti-mining policies result in missed opportunities and stalled investment. 

The Crisafulli Government is delivering hundreds of jobs in North West Queensland, with the first investment from the expanded $250 million Queensland Critical Minerals Fund set to unlock one of the State’s biggest copper-sulphide deposits. 

This year’s Budget is strengthening the foundations for Queensland’s critical minerals sector, with an additional $100 million funding to capitalise on opportunities which the former Labor Government failed to develop. 

The boosted Queensland Critical Minerals Fund is accelerating extraction, processing and exporting of high-quality critical minerals to the world, driving investment in new projects and reopening old mines to process critical minerals from tailings. 

The launch of the Delivering Queensland's Critical Minerals Future 2026-2030 strategy is also positioning the State for the next phase of development to meet global demand and respond to restructuring of global supply chains.  

Aeon Metals is one of the first companies to be backed by the expanded fund, with a $20 million investment for its Walford Creek Project. 

The site is roughly 350km north-west of Mt Isa and contains an estimated 75 million tonnes of mineral resources like copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, silver and nickel. 

The investment is being led by Queensland Investment Corporation and will help Aeon Metals complete feasibility studies and resource expansion drilling. 

It’s another example of how the Crisafulli Government is backing regional Queensland and unlocking critical minerals opportunities which went to waste during Labor’s decade of decline. 

Further investment opportunities to unlock Queensland's critical minerals and deliver more jobs for regional Queensland will be a major focus of the Premier's Trade Mission later this month, with meetings planned with high-level government officials and private investors scheduled.  

Treasurer and Energy Minister David Janetzki said this was another example of how the Crisafulli Government is backing regional Queensland. 

“The North West Minerals Province is one of the richest mineral producing regions in the world, potentially holding $700 billion in critical minerals,” Treasurer Janetzki said. 

“Further unlocking critical minerals opportunities, which went to waste during a decade under the former Labor Government, will help deliver even more benefit to Queensland’s economy. 

“Projects like Walford Creek languished under Labor, but the Crisafulli Government is determined to ensure Queenslanders reap the benefits of our natural resources.” 

Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said the investment was another example of the Queensland Critical Minerals Fund putting the state at the forefront of the international critical minerals industry. 

“The world wants our critical minerals, and bringing these projects to life will ensure we make up for the years Labor wasted by failing to properly capitalise on our opportunities,” Minister Bates said. 

“Critical minerals projects have the potential to transform Queensland and create the jobs and long-term economic growth in our regions which were neglected during Labor’s decade of decline.”