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Australia has the rare earths to fuel the electric car era
China dominates the supply of the elusive metals, which are vital to technology, but finding new sources is becoming a global priority
By Royce Kurmelovs / The Guardian
An estimated 1.4 billion vehicles drive the world’s roads and about 78 million new vehicles are sold every year. To head off the worst effects of climate change, every single one will eventually need to go electric.
Whether it rolls off a production line in Fremont, California, or comes together in a vast megafactory in Qinghai, China, a colossal amount of human effort must go into building the components and obtaining their base minerals.
Last week it was announced the 43-year-old former SAS soldier and barrister, Keith Wolahan, will replace conservative Liberal party stalwart Kevin Andrews after winning a long-running preselection battle to represent the Victorian electorate of Menzies, which covers the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
The Liberal Party currently holds the seat by a seven-point margin, making it a stronghold for the Coalition and a sure thing at the next election.
While party leadership has framed the coup as a “changing of the guard”, conservatives have been left wondering what their new representative stands for. And on the subject of constitutional recognition of Indigenous people at least, Wolahan certainly is no moderate.
OPINION: A video recording of a talk given to the Samuel Griffith Society in 2017 shows Wolahan lay out his opposition for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.