Foreword 2

Introduction 3

Strategic competition and critical minerals

Darwin Dialogue 2026 aims for aligned industrial strategy 5

John Coyne Just what we need: US calls key countries together on critical minerals 6

Indonesia’s critical minerals push is key to defence self-reliance 7

Australian innovation is needed to break China’s grip on critical minerals 8

To avoid a Ukraine-style quid pro quo, Australia needs to work with the US on critical minerals 9

Australia can reap the benefits of critical-minerals rivalry 10

For critical minerals, Darwin’s the place to be 11

Just like fuel, fertiliser supply chains are a hidden vulnerability 13

EU and US critical-minerals strategies: same goal, different methods 14

Financing the midstream

Critical minerals need reliable financing frameworks 16

To secure mineral demand, align with original equipment manufacturers 17

Australia can narrow India’s mine-to-magnet gap 18

Governance, communities and industrial legitimacy

Building stronger governance for Australia’s critical-minerals future 20

Speed without shortcuts: minerals permitting can be a competitive advantage 21

About the authors 23