Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive officer Janette Hewson said the state was ready to be more than a quarry. “Queensland has the resources, the expertise and the investment opportunities to become a global critical minerals powerhouse,” Hewson said. The event followed the release of the Queensland Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy, which puts $250 million into a new Critical Minerals Fund. “The Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy is a welcome step forward, particularly its commitment to coordinated industry development, faster approvals, common-user infrastructure and a $250 million Critical Minerals Fund,” Wainwright said. Most of Queensland’s critical minerals sit in the North West Minerals Province around Mount Isa, a region rich in copper but cut off from the national electricity grid.