The Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA) has called on the Federal Government to ensure regulatory pathways are cleared to keep pace with forecast demand for critical minerals projects.
ADIA chief executive officer Jeff Miller welcomed further details revealed last week about the government’s $1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve, but said its success would depend on timely project approvals, workforce capacity and sustained drilling activity.
“The Strategic Reserve is fundamentally about re-supply, not assuming global supply chains will remain intact,” Miller said. “That means Australia must be able to discover, define and develop critical mineral resources domestically – and that starts with drilling.”
The government recently released details on the implementation of the reserve, with antimony, gallium and rare earth elements placed at the centre of the strategy.
Resources Minister Madeleine King said the government planned to have the reserve ready and operational by the end of this year.
Miller said the drilling industry needed practical, fit-for-purpose regulation and consistent approval pathways so contractors could plan with certainty.
“For the drilling industry, this announcement signals longer-term demand rather than short-term market cycles,” he said. “But that opportunity will only be realised if drilling programs can proceed efficiently, safely and without unnecessary regulatory delay.”
“Capital support alone will not deliver outcomes if state and federal permitting processes slow down exploration and definition drilling,” Miller said. “Drilling is often the first activity delayed and the last to be recognised, despite being the gateway to every critical minerals project.”
Under the model outlined by the government, the reserve will operate by securing rights to minerals produced in Australia and on-selling those rights to meet domestic and international demand. The approach is intended to provide an additional boost to Australia’s critical minerals sector while strengthening the reliability of supply chains for key trading partners.