Introduction

This week, the Australian Government released the Critical Minerals Strategy 2023 – 2030, which has four objectives, including building sovereign capability in critical minerals processing and creating diverse, resilient and sustainable supply chains through secure international partnerships. New ASPI analysis by the Honourable Kim Beazley and Ben Halton looks at the potential of one such partnership – AUKUS – to deliver on mineral diversification and address global supply chain vulnerabilities. The report ‘AUKUS and critical minerals’ recommends critical minerals be added into AUKUS Pillar Two, and that AUKUS countries should work with friends and allies, consistent with Pillar Two’s remit not being an exclusive arrangement, to create resilient critical mineral supply chains. Distinguished Senior ASPI Fellow Kim Beazley joins Dr John Coyne on the ASPI podcast to discuss the report’s findings. Mentioned in this episode: ‘AUKUS and critical minerals: hedging Beijing’s pervasive, clever and coordinated statecraft’, new ASPI report: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/aukus-and-critical-minerals-hedging-beijings-pervasive-clever-and-coordinated-statecraft Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030: https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/critical-minerals-strategy-2023-2030 Guests: Dr John Coyne: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/john-coyne The Honourable Kim Beazley AC: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/honourable-kim-beazley-ac Music: "Think Different" by Scott Holmes, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk