Australia is emerging as a major future player in global antimony production, following new analysis by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) which underscores the significance of stibnite — the primary ore of antimony — in the country’s mineral-endowment.

The report identifies Australia as home to what may be the world’s fourth-largest antimony reserves and argues the nation is well-positioned to become a “global leader” in the metal and its oxide form.

Antimony, already listed as a critical mineral in Australia, the United States Geological Survey, the European Commission, Japan and Canada, is gaining fresh attention because of its vital role in defence systems, digital infrastructure, photovoltaics and battery technologies.

The CSIRO estimate that China, Russia and Tajikistan currently account for about 90 per cent of global antimony production highlights the supply-chain risk that Australia is now seeking to counter.

The report identifies high-grade stibnite deposits across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

It singles out the Costerfield Mine (Victoria) — currently the only Australian operation exporting antimony-gold concentrates — and the more advanced projects at Hillgrove Project (New South Wales) and Sunday Creek Project (Victoria) that are poised to scale production from 2026 onwards with a target to supply roughly seven per cent of global antimony output.

The CSIRO stresses that while Australia has strong geological potential and production capabilities, its domestic processing base for antimony metal and oxide remains underdeveloped.

The research body argues that, given the country’s expertise in sustainable processing and mining, there is an opportunity to build on-shore capacity to refine stibnite concentrates into finished antimony products.

Market projections underscore the urgency of the shift: industry commentary expects antimony demand to rise from approximately US$2.5 billion in 2024 to around US$3.5 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, the CSIRO frames Australia’s role as a politically stable, high-governance supply source — an important attribute as leading economies seek to diversify away from dominant producers and ensure secure access to materials essential for clean energy, manufacturing and defence.

In practical terms, the new findings suggest that investment in exploration, mining infrastructure and downstream refinement in Australia now warrants heightened international interest.

As technology and defence supply chains tighten, Australia’s reserves of stibnite and its supportive policy backdrop offer a compelling platform for the nation to scale its antimony role globally.