Newsroom

August 1, 2025

“I’m not going to leave any stone unturned in the pursuit of keeping Australia’s Mount Isa Copper Smelter operating!” the Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger has said from a chilly Canberra.

“Here we are, with the copper smelter; if it falls, it’s a house of cards – the fertiliser plant, the rail, the next generation of miners who want to help Australia benefit from the $700 billion in resources which are in the ground in the North West – that all goes if the smelter goes,” Mr Katter said.

The Queensland state member for Traeger and resident of Mount Isa joined Mayors, regional leaders, Junior Miners, and importantly affected workers as part of a delegation to Canberra organised by Townsville Enterprise Limited, and hosted by Mount Isa’s Federal Member, Bob Katter, the Member for Kennedy.

“I get so frustrated when I talk about nation building, and wealth generating projects and people think it’s all about us in Mount Isa or other remote parts of Queensland.  This is as much about the future of Australia’s sovereign capabilities in manufacturing and value adding, as it is the future of Mount Isa,” the Member for Traeger said.

“Australia simply cannot let strategic infrastructure such as the Mount Isa Smelter fail and be shut down by a multinational trading company who do not share our appetite for preserving critical industry.

“The smelter’s future operation is vital for Australia to play its destined role in the global copper boom that’s playing out before our eyes.  It should not be determined by a spreadsheet of a multination commodity trader.

“We need more copper to be produced in the next 25 years than has ever been produced my mankind – and we’re going to let this close?  Not on my watch!

“We come here to Canberra optimistic, that the Australian Government, the Queensland Government, and the current owners can rapidly come to a genuine, real, and sustainable outcome, that will enable Australia’s copper future, Queensland’s industrial powerhouse, and future generations of Mount Isa mining.

“This is not a case of ‘she’ll be right’, and ‘they’ll get through it’ – this stuff is very real, and I don’t think we’ve ever experienced anything like it in our history.

“The only outcomes are very binary – we keep the smelter open, or we don’t.

“On behalf of the communities of North Queensland, from Mount Isa to Townsville, for a bright future for all Australians, ‘please help’”, Mr Katter said.