On 16 June 2026, the Australia–Korea Business Council convened senior leaders in Perth for the AKBC Critical Minerals and Rare Earths Roundtable, bringing together industry, government, and investment stakeholders for a focused discussion on cooperation in critical minerals and rare earths.
Held at PLS and chaired by Hon. Martin Ferguson AM, the roundtable brought together our members with engaging with Nicole Roocke, CEO of the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia, alongside contributions from Australian and Korean industry leaders spanning mining, processing, finance, and downstream applications, for a closed-door platform to examine how Australia and Korea can strengthen collaboration across emerging supply chains for lithium, rare earths, and battery materials.
We were pleased to welcome keynote addresses highlighted by contributions from AKBC members and industry leaders across energy, investment, and infrastructure.
Discussions focused on the next phase of the bilateral partnership, with a clear emphasis on:
🔹Moving beyond resource extraction toward value-added processing
🔹Technology collaboration and integrated supply chains
🔹Strategic alignment between Australia's resource base and Korea's industrial and manufacturing capabilities
🔹Long-term partnerships and investment certainty
🔹 Policy coordination to support resilient and diversified supply chains
Thank you to PLS for hosting, and to all participants for contributing candid insights and forward-looking perspectives. AKBC roundtables are designed to facilitate trusted, small-group discussions where members can engage directly with decision-makers and shape the next phase of bilateral cooperation.
We look forward to continuing these conversations with members in the months ahead.
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