Labor is talking critical minerals today and the ABC asks health minister Mark Butler if that’s because of Donald Trump’s hunger for critical minerals and rare earths (Trump has made it his mission to suck up as much of the world’s supply as he can – just ask Ukraine)

Butler says:

More broadly, we want to be an important supplier of these critical minerals and rare earths that are going to be so important for the 21st century global economy. We have already got a program of production tax credits that will underpin and encourage the development of these resource projects, particularly in WA.

Tax credits that Peter Dutton said yesterday he would cut. We think the creation of this critical minerals reserve will make Australia a really important supplier, particularly to like-minded nations. Nations we do business with like Japan and South Korea want a reliable supplier but I am sure the US administration will be interested in this as well.