Expert Exchange: Coal, copper, and rare earths remain critical to Australia’s resources future

Australia’s resources sector is well placed for long-term growth, but maintaining its global competitiveness will require continued investment, policy certainty and timely project development. In this edition of HotCopper‘s Expert Exchange, Minerals Council of Australia Chief Executive Officer Tania Constable said Australia’s diverse commodity mix continues to underpin the nation’s economy, with coal, copper and rare earths all expected to play important roles in the years ahead.

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While critical minerals have attracted significant investor attention, Constable says traditional commodities such as coal remain enormously valuable to Australia’s export earnings and continue to be essential to global energy security and steel production.

She also highlighted copper as one of the world’s most strategically important commodities, with demand expected to strengthen over the coming years as countries invest in electricity networks, data centres, renewable energy and electrification.

Despite short-term uncertainty created by geopolitical tensions and softer economic conditions, constrained global supply is expected to support copper prices over the medium term.

Constable said Australia is well-positioned to benefit from that structural demand, provided new projects can be developed efficiently, and investment conditions remain attractive.

The discussion also turned to rare earths, where Australia is increasingly emerging as a key supplier as governments seek to diversify critical mineral supply chains away from traditional producers.

Watch the full interview with Tania Constable for her insights into the outlook for coal, copper, rare earths and the future of Australia’s resources sector. The discussion follows the release of the Australian Government’s June 2026 Resources and Energy Quarterly, which forecasts Australia’s resources exports will remain resilient despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty. The report projects gold export earnings will peak at $73 billion in 2026–27 before moderating over the longer term.

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