Media

Highlights – Draft AER Default Market Offer Brilliant to see the Australian Energy Regulator has today flagged draft default market offer (DMO) electricity pricing down ⬇️ 1% to ⏬ 10% for residential consumers, and between ⬇️ 8% to ⏬ 21% for small business consumers The DMO sets an efficiently priced safety-net for households and small businesses on standing offer electricity plans and acts as a reference price to help consumers compare market offers. This is the draft ruling, with the final ruling released May 2026 for effect for the 12 months starting 1 July 2026. This is consistent with Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)’s quarterly energy dynamics highlighting Australia hit a record high 51% RenewableEnergy share in the 4QCY2025, and wholesale electricity prices fell by >40% yoy as a result. Read more

In a LinkedIn post on Monday, Climate Energy Finance founder and director Tim Buckley said it was “brilliant” to see the WA government “stepping up to enable and crowd-in private capital to regional areas, creating low cost decarbonised Australian energy to build our energy independence.” “A lot more speed and scale needed, but we are making good progress.” Read more

China has invested more than $120 billion in overseas mining and upstream processing since 2023, accelerating a state-backed push to secure the raw materials underpinning the global energy transition, says Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF). A study published last week reveals that China’s spending targeted a wide range of commodities — including lithium, copper, nickel, rare earths and bauxite — that are essential for electric vehicles, renewable power and industrial decarbonization. Read more

The think tank Climate Energy Finance (CEF) from Australia released these findings in a report last week. Researchers from this organisation documented the flow of capital from firms into mines and factories. These experts describe the approach as a coordinated effort to secure resources for decades. Tim Buckley co-authored the report and serves as the founder of CEF. He notes that the model of investment has changed to include collaboration with host governments. This shift addresses previous concerns regarding the extraction of wealth without local benefit. Read more

“Australia’s strength lies in geology, not yet in industrial depth. It is rich in the minerals that underpin the zero-emissions economy, but for too long it has relied on a familiar formula: dig, ship, and hope prices stay high,” Associate Professor Marina Yue Zhang, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney, said. “That model brought prosperity, but it also bred complacency. In a world where value lies increasingly not in extraction alone but in refining, processing, manufacturing, and system integration, being a quarry is no longer enough.” Read more

China has deployed over $120 billion in outbound investment across critical minerals since 2023, building end-to-end industrial control from mining through refining, logistics, and manufacturing rather than simply securing raw materials. China dominates midstream processing with 85–90% of rare earth refining and ~90% of battery components, while resource-rich countries like Australia risk remaining upstream suppliers despite producing over 50% of global lithium. The report reinforces that control of refining and downstream processing—not raw resources—defines strategic advantage, with the window for Western allies to shift from resource wealth to industrial power rapidly narrowing. Read more

Chinese firms are increasingly partnering with host governments to build in-country processing facilities, infrastructure such as railways, ports and power systems, and local industrial capacity, in exchange for long-term supply agreements, says CEF founder Tim Buckley, who co-authored the report. This approach aligns China’s resource security goals with host countries’ ambitions to capture more value domestically and accelerate their own industrial development, he adds. Read more

Tim Buckley highlights the International Energy Agency’s warning of a severe global energy crisis, noting past price spikes after Russia’s […] Read more

The director of Climate Energy Finance, Tim Buckley, says these conglomerates are profiteering from the war with the blessing of US President Donald Trump. The US is self-sufficient in oil and gas and is a net exporter. Trump boasted in a social media post: “The United States is the largest oil producer in the world by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.” Buckley argues it is time for Australia to protect itself from these recurring oil shocks. He suggests Chalmers end the $11-billion-a-year subsidy on imported diesel in Australia, which undermines our energy security, independence and climate ambitions. Read more

Tim Buckley’s interview starts at 1:06:51 in the following link: ABC Gold Coast Drive Tom Forbes reports that the Australian […] Read more

China has invested over $120B since 2023 in global critical minerals, strengthening its dominance in clean energy supply chains and processing. Through infrastructure-for-resources deals—especially in Africa—China secures long-term supply while expanding into local processing. These investments raise concerns over debt burdens, limited local economic benefits, and growing Chinese control over strategic resources. Read more

A new report titled ‘ Raw Power China locks in global dominance of critical minerals and metals with US$120bn outbound investment surge,‘ released by the Australian think tank Climate Energy Finance, highlights a major shift in global industrial strategy driven by Chinese companies. Read more