US-Australia deals on Critical Minerals & Rare Earths (2025)

The United States and Australia have established a framework to secure the supply of critical minerals and rare earths essential for advanced technologies and defense. The agreement focuses on cooperative efforts to enhance supply chains, investment in mining and processing, and utilizing policy tools for economic support. The Participants aim to mobilize at least $1 billion in financing for priority projects and streamline permitting processes. They also plan to promote investment in the sector through ministerial meetings and commit to protecting markets from unfair practices. Geological mapping and collaboration with third parties will further support supply chain security and diversification.

advtanmoy 22/10/2025 6 minutes read

United States-Australia Framework For Securing Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths

US-Australia deals on Critical Minerals and Rare Earths

Summary: President Donald J. Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a landmark Critical Minerals Framework to unleash the potential of our abundant natural resources—a model for supply-chain cooperation globally.

October 20, 2025

Whereas, rare earths and critical minerals are essential for the production of advanced technologies;

Whereas, the United States of America (the “United States” or “U.S.”) and the Commonwealth of Australia (“Australia”, and together, the “Participants”) intend to support the supply of raw and processed critical minerals and rare earths crucial to the commercial and defense industries of the United States and Australia;

Whereas, the Participants plan to accomplish this through use of economic policy tools and coordinated investment to accelerate development of diversified, liquid, fair markets for critical minerals and rare earths;

Whereas, the Participants’ objective is to assist both countries in achieving resilience and security of critical minerals and rare earths supply chains, including mining, separation, and processing;

Whereas, the Participants intend to capitalize on their respective existing domestic mining and processing operations in critical minerals and heavy and light rare earths as well as new capacity to be made available in 2026.

Therefore, the Participants have reached the following understanding on a common policy framework for the mining and processing of critical minerals and rare earths.

Section I

Critical Minerals and Rare Earths

Securing supply: The Participants are intensifying their cooperative efforts to accelerate the secure supply of critical minerals and rare earths necessary to support manufacturing of defense and advanced technologies and their respective industrial bases, including by leveraging existing policy tools such as the United States’ industrial demand and stockpiling infrastructure and Australia’s Critical Mineral Strategic Reserve.
Investment in mining and processing: The Participants will mobilize government and private sector support including for capital and operational expenditures via guarantees, loans, or equity; finalization of offtake arrangements; insurance; or regulatory facilitation.
1. Project selection: The Participants will jointly identify projects of interest to address gaps in priority supply chains.
2. Financing: In addition to the steps above, within 6 months of the date of this Framework, the Participants are taking measures to provide at least $1 billion in financing to projects located in each of the United States and Australia expected to generate end product for delivery to buyers in the United States and Australia.
3. Investment support: The Participants will work together to develop new or bespoke mechanisms to strengthen critical minerals and rare earths supply chains.
4. Ministerial: The Participants have decided to promote investment in mining by convening a Mining, Minerals and Metals Investment Ministerial within 180 days of the date of this Framework.
Permitting: The Participants are taking measures to accelerate, streamline, or deregulate permitting timelines and processes, including to obtain permits for critical minerals and rare earths mining, separation, and processing within their respective domestic regulatory systems, consistent with applicable law.
Price Mechanisms: The Participants will work to protect their respective domestic critical minerals and rare earths markets from non-market policies and unfair trade practices, including through the adoption of standards-based systems in which those who adopt the standards can trade freely and within a pricing framework including price floors or similar measures. The Participants will also work with international partners to develop a future global framework to deal with associated international pricing challenges.
Asset Sales: The Participants commit to work in good faith to develop new or strengthen existing authorities and diplomatic tools that review and deter critical minerals and rare earths asset sales on national security grounds.
Scrap: The Participants commit to investing in minerals recycling technology and to work together to ensure management of critical minerals and rare earth scrap that supports supply chain diversification.
Third parties: The Participants will work together with third parties as appropriate to ensure supply chain security and utilize existing engagement mechanisms.
Geological mapping: The Participants will cooperate to assist in mapping mineral resources in Australia, the United States, and elsewhere as mutually determined, to support diversified critical mineral supply chains.
Rapid Response: The Participants are establishing a U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Supply Security Response Group under the leadership of the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the Australian Minister for Resources to identify priority minerals and supply vulnerabilities and develop a coordinated plan to accelerate delivery of processed minerals under this Framework.

Section II

General Provisions

The appropriate authorities of the Participants will carry out post-project analysis and implementation. The specific content of the post-project analysis is to be developed between/among the Participants, in accordance with their respective domestic laws.
The Participants will meet, virtually or in-person, at the written request of the other Participant within 10 days of the receipt of the request.
Either Participant may discontinue its participation in this Framework by giving written notification to the other Participant. Absent notice to the contrary from the discontinuing Participant, any such discontinuation would be effective on the thirtieth day after the date of receipt of the written notification by the other Participant.
The Framework sets out a policy and programmatic action plan that does not constitute or create rights or obligations under domestic or international law, does not give rise to any legal process, and does not constitute or create any legally binding or enforceable obligations, express or implied.

Signed in Washington, District of Columbia this twentieth day of October, two thousand and twenty-five.

For the Government of the

United States of America:

Donald J. Trump

President

For the Government of Australia:

Anthony Albanese

Prime Minister