QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE › United States-Australia Framework for Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths
Senator AYRES (New South Wales—Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science) (14:48): The first thing that we want to do is make sure, as you say, that this is not just about extraction of resources. This is about onshore processing and production here in Australia. That means real things in real outer suburban and regional communities that need good jobs and need investment. On the tax front—we see these questions more broadly than just the tax questions, of course. We see them in national interest terms, national security and economic resilience terms, and employment and industry capability terms, but the resources sector does make a very significant contribution in tax terms—$48.5 billion in company tax in 2023-24. The PRESIDENT: Senator David Pocock, second supplementary?