‘Crazy’: Madeleine King slams Petter Dutton as she reveals ‘most frustrating’ part of being Resources Minister

Madeleine King has revealed the “most frustrating” part of her job is widespread “ignorance” of the importance of Australia’s resources sector – a lack of awareness she claims extends to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

The Resources Minister said she was “staggered” by Mr Dutton’s refusal to back in the Albanese Government’s proposed production tax credits for critical minerals refiners, accusing him of ignoring both the economic benefits and national security imperatives of the flagship policy.

Addressing The West Australian’s Leadership Matters breakfast on Tuesday, Ms King also blasted Mr Dutton over his framing of the credits – which also extend to hydrogen producers – as “welfare for billionaires”.

“We need these wealth creators to invest in these projects, that’s exactly what you want to happen,” Ms King said.

“I find that (argument) crazy, and just sort of stupid. Literally stupid.

“We want investment from the big trading houses around the world into the critical minerals industry, even better if we have investment from our local, self-made homegrown billionaires – that’s a great thing.”

Ms King said the credits were “not a giveaway” but instead rewarded proponents willing to invest in a burgeoning sector – exactly as had occurred with WA’s once fledging iron ore and gas industries under former Liberal Premiers David Brand and Charles Court.

She said the “short-sighted” Opposition “simply did not get it” and accused Mr Dutton of recklessly playing politics “on an important issue of sovereignty”.

“It goes to show that the ignorance of the resources sector and the emerging critical minerals and rare earths industry goes further than I knew,” Ms King said.

Expanding on that point in a Q&A with The West Australian’s chief reporter Ben Harvey, Ms King said the “most frustrating” part of her job was “an ignorance of the resources sector” in the wider community, feeding into a “lack of understanding” of its contribution to the national economy.

“But not just the economy when we think of… dollars into the budget, but also into people’s lives,” Ms King said.

“Really, amazingly good jobs that people are able to have opportunities to provider for their families and their communities.

“In some places, that opportunity is a little bit disrespected and that’s what I don’t like about it.”

Ms King was quick to add her colleagues in the Albanese Government had a hearty appreciation for WA’s miners.

“I just want to be clear: my ministerial colleagues and Cabinet colleagues absolutely do understand the resources sector,” she said.

“You don’t get a $20 billion package of assistance for the future of the resources sector without a Cabinet of Australia that understands exactly its value. So I just want to put that to bed.”

Opening a new front in her argument in support of the production credits, Ms King said the package was a “downpayment” on Australia’s “responsibilities” to play a central role developing a secure critical minerals supply chain.

Ms King did not mention China – which currently dominates the market for many of the minerals required to manufacture advanced weaponry like missiles, fighter jets and submarines – but said Federal Labor’s Future Made in Australia plan was a “matter of national security”.

“The Australian Government is stepping up while the opposition is stepping back,” she said.

“The leadership of the Federal Liberal Party simply don’t understand the challenges of international markets and supply chains that critical minerals and rare earths have to work in.

“They make the mistake of so many: thinking that the resources sector is homogenous, that all commodities are like iron ore or coal.

“Sold in bulk and produced by massive multinationals, or the commodities are sold into stable transparent markets. Well, they are not.”