Australia's Critical Minerals Strategy promises to accrue benefits locally by building partnerships with host communities and First Nations peoples.
This research highlights that some of Australia's most disadvantaged areas host the highest number of critical minerals mines and mineral deposits.
These areas also have a higher proportion of First Nations people.
At the same time, First Nations people have procedural rights available for up to almost 80% of these critical minerals projects.
Without major reforms in policy and practice, the inequitable distribution of mining's impacts and benefits will persist.
This paper was authored in January 2024 by John Burton, Deanna Kemp, Rodger Barnes and Joni Parmenter from the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland.
Read the paper here