Key points
- Critical minerals are essential for clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies, yet development could create tension between landowners and industry.
- Many areas of interest for critical minerals are on lands where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold Native Title or Land rights and cultural and spiritual connection.
- CSIRO research is exploring pathways for fair and sustainable outcomes with Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities with Native title and Land Rights through formal partnership agreements
Australia's critical minerals are central to the global shift to clean energy, advanced manufacturing and digital technologies. As demand grows, so too does the pressure to explore, mine and process these materials across Australia.
But the future of critical minerals will not be shaped by geology alone. Nearly 80 per cent of critical minerals projects intersect with land where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold Native Title or Land rights, responsibilities and a deep cultural and spiritual connection. That means the sector's success is inseparable from the strength of its partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
CSIRO research is helping to explore how Australia can navigate this growth responsibly, by bringing together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, industry, government and researchers to identify pathways towards fairer, more sustainable outcomes through culturally grounded approaches in co-design.
Why Indigenous partnerships matter
Critical minerals development presents both opportunity and risk. Done well, it can support economic self-determination, shared decision-making and more direct participation in the value created by projects. Done poorly, it can place further pressure on cultural heritage, community capacity and governance systems.
CSIRO researcher Dr Rebecca Riggs says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities must be central to decisions about the future of critical minerals development.
"A key aspect of the research was embedding the values held by Traditional Owners and local communities in decisions about mining, examining what is important to them in how decisions are made and in achieving the future they want," said Dr Riggs.
"We're asking what genuine partnership looks like and what opportunities exist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to participate in the long-term value created by critical minerals development."
This map of Australia displays regions with different Native Title statuses using distinct colours:
- Dark green: Native Title exists (exclusive rights)
- Light green: Native Title exists (non-exclusive rights)
- Pale yellow: Native Title accepted for registration
- Orange: Native Title currently identified for registration decision
- Grey: Native Title does not exist
- Light grey: Native Title extinguished
On top of these coloured regions, the map shows critical minerals mining sites using colored circles:
- Purple: Operating mines
- Green: Mineral deposits
- Pink: Mines under care and maintenance
- Blue: Mines under development
Most mining activities are concentrated in Western Australia, Queensland, and South Australia, often overlapping with areas where Native Title exists or is being processed.
Listening to diverse voices
The project, Navigating Sustainability Transitions: Critical Minerals , began with a simple but powerful question: what does a just and sustainable outcome for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities look like in critical minerals development?
To help answer it, the CSIRO team began by listening. Early engagement brought together Indigenous legal representatives, multiple Traditional Owner groups in Queensland and people working at the interface of community and industry. These conversations helped build a clearer picture of how critical minerals projects can differ from traditional bulk commodity mining - and why those differences matter for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Understanding the pressure points
A typical mine takes an average of 15.5 years to move from discovery to production . Critical minerals can add further complexity. Some are recovered as by-products during mineral processing or from historic mine waste, while others require exploration in areas with little or no previous mining activity. New projects may also need energy, transport and processing infrastructure, increasing their footprint on Country.
"Critical minerals projects can involve different commodities, smaller footprints, emerging technologies and new market dynamics," said Dr Riggs.
"These differences can create tensions for communities, industry and regulators."
To better understand these pressures, CSIRO worked with university partners to examine how regulatory, financial, social and institutional factors interact across the critical minerals sector.
Better pathways to change through co-design
One outcome was a series of roundtables, delivered with Indigenous consulting agency i2i Global and the Critical Minerals Association Australia . Held online and at the Future of Mining Conference in Perth, the discussions brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, industry, government, research and not-for-profit participants.
Together, they helped move the conversation from broad principles to practical pathways for change. Participants highlighted the need for earlier and more sustained engagement, stronger support for informed consent, greater Indigenous capability and economic empowerment and project timelines that make room for trust, relationships and co-design across the mining life cycle.
The discussions pointed to a shared shift in mindset: from consultation to consent, from compliance to co-design, and from short-term transactions to long-term partnerships built on shared values and a culturally grounded approach.
For i2i Global Chief Executive Officer Darren Godwell, meaningful partnership must protect Country while supporting economic opportunity.
"For Indigenous peoples, protecting Country and safeguarding cultural heritage rank highly," said Mr Godwell.
"And for many, moving out of poverty is also important.
"Mining projects often come with promises of economic outcomes for Indigenous Peoples. i2i Global's work is to help bring those goals together in practice, for the benefit of Traditional Owners."
The resulting report presents a visual theory of change , outlining both incremental and transformative pathways towards a more inclusive, resilient and values-centred critical minerals sector.
Rather than offering a single solution, the theory of change outlines practical and transformative pathways that align the sector's success with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-determination and economic participation.
CSIRO's role was to act as a trusted convener and facilitator, rather than advocate for specific policies or outcomes.
"CSIRO sits at the intersection of science, industry, government and community," said Dr Riggs.
"That puts us in a unique position to bring people together, provide rigorous analysis and support constructive dialogue."
The project also drew on CSIRO expertise in sustainability science, Indigenous engagement, social science and resources research.
What's next
The work is now entering a new phase. CSIRO is collaborating with i2i Global to identify real world examples of innovation that are driving systemic change in Indigenous partnerships across the resources sector.
These examples may come from community-led initiatives, innovative financing mechanisms, Indigenous equity partnerships, corporate practice, policy settings or governance models—anywhere new approaches are helping overcome barriers and create lasting economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
"There's strong interest across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, industry and government to learn from what's already working," said Dr Riggs.
"We see a real opportunity to build on that momentum."
CSIRO hopes to develop this into a longer-term collaborative project and is inviting organisations and communities to share case studies, ideas and experiences.
Building a fairer future
As Australia's critical minerals sector grows, the choices made now will shape its social, cultural and economic legacy for decades to come.
The measure of Australia's critical minerals success will not be supply alone. It will be whether the transition creates enduring value, respects Country, culture and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to shape the future on their own terms.
