What is the Boyne smelter green switchover?

The Boyne aluminium smelter is one of Australia's largest single power users. In March 2026 Rio Tinto, Queensland and the Commonwealth signed a deal to keep it running to at least 2040 on solar and wind, underwritten by $7.5B of new renewable power contracts. The 2026–27 federal budget then put $1B behind Boyne Island. A Growth Precinct builds the cluster around the now-secured smelter — cheap sovereign power, then casting, extrusion and recycling onshore instead of shipping raw ingot away to be turned into finished goods and bought back.

How does Gladstone produce sovereign gallium?

Gallium — vital to computer chips, radar and electronic-warfare systems, and about 98% controlled by China, which restricted exports in 2023 — concentrates in the alumina refinery's process liquor and is normally just cycled back. A bolt-on extraction line recovers it, and Rio Tinto proved this exact process in 2025. Gladstone's refineries give Australia a sovereign gallium source as a byproduct of the metal it already makes.

What critical minerals come from red mud?

Refining alumina leaves a vast 'red mud' residue, today a waste liability. It holds scandium (which makes aluminium far stronger for aircraft and defence), rare earths and iron. Gladstone recovers them, and the cleaned residue feeds low-carbon cement for the national build. Rio Tinto is already piloting scandium recovery from Queensland red mud — turning the refinery's biggest waste stream into sovereign critical-mineral supply.

Growing Australia

Growing Australia is a practical platform for a stronger, more resilient Australia: 53 investments across six national priorities, designed to strengthen productive capacity, resilience and long-term living standards.

The complete long-term register has a central concept-stage estimate of $201.4 billion and is designed to be delivered gradually. A focused first-stage group is costed at about $10 billion, with the ledger, assumptions and evidence published openly.

Costing model
Citations and sources
Powering Australia
Making It Here
Cyber Australia
Feeding Australia
Our Neighbourhood
Building Australia