Australia’s basic-metals problem: old plants and subsidised Chinese competition (David Uren, The Strategist)

Australia’s ability to produce basic metals, including copper, lead, zinc, nickel and construction steel, is in jeopardy, with ageing plants struggling against Chinese competition. The multinational commodities company Trafigura has put its Australian operations under strategic review; these include a lead smelter at Port Pirie in South Australia and a zinc refinery at Risdon, Tasmania. Its chief executive, Richard Holtum, told a recent conference that the Australian government should consider the future of metal processing capability as a national security issue.

Australia’s basic-metals problem: old plants and subsidised Chinese competition | The Strategist