- Argus Critical Minerals Forum returns to Perth on 19 August 2026
- Nickel, lithium and manganese sessions target Australian battery supply chains
- Admission stays free but requires registration through Argus Media
- Investment panel runs 80 minutes on alternative supply chain financing
- Forum follows Australia’s A$1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve rollout
- Event differs from AusIMM’s separate technical conference in Brisbane
What Is the Argus Critical Minerals Forum
The Argus Australia Critical Minerals Forum is a single-afternoon market and investment briefing running from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM AWST on Wednesday, 19 August 2026, at the Westin Perth’s Cassia and Karri Room. Organised by Argus Media, the event opens with an address from Jo Clarke, the company’s Head of Oceania, before three consecutive market sessions on rare earths, battery metals and nickel. Admission is free, though registration is required and confirmation emails go out one week ahead of the event.
Why It Matters for Nickel, Lithium and Manganese Markets
For readers tracking nickel, lithium and manganese supply chains, the forum’s second and third sessions are the ones worth clearing an afternoon for. The battery metals session asks whether the current lithium price rebound has staying power, and how rising battery demand is reshaping manganese sourcing. The nickel session turns to Indonesia, examining whether the RKAB production cuts and firmer nickel prices coming out of the world’s largest nickel producer could open space for a revival in Australia’s own nickel industry. Sister publication Rare Earth Mining is covering the forum’s opening rare earths session in full, including the China export control angle, for readers who need that side of the agenda.
Programme Highlights: Battery Metals and Nickel Sessions
After registration and coffee from 1:00 PM, the programme runs tightly to schedule. The battery metals session (2:00–2:20 PM) and nickel session (2:20–2:40 PM) sit back to back, followed by a coffee break. The headline slot is an 80-minute panel from 3:00 PM to 4:20 PM on investment and alternative supply chains, closing with remarks and a networking drinks reception until 6:00 PM. That investment panel is the session most directly relevant to Australia’s critical minerals financing landscape, since it covers funding structures and supply-chain strategy rather than technical project detail.
Who Attends the Forum
Argus positions the event for a commercial and policy audience rather than a technical one: producers, investors, policymakers and consumers from across the critical minerals value chain. That framing puts it closer to a market briefing than a mining conference, and it explains why the agenda leans on price and trade-flow questions rather than metallurgy or exploration results. It should not be confused with the AusIMM Critical Minerals Conference, a separate three-day technical event scheduled for Brisbane in September 2026 and built around papers for geologists, metallurgists and processing engineers.
Commercial Context and the Investment Panel
The forum’s investment and supply-chain content sits against the backdrop of Australia’s A$1.2 billion Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve, funded through the 2025-26 federal budget and due to become operational in the second half of 2026. The reserve prioritises antimony, gallium and rare earth elements as its first focus minerals rather than nickel, lithium or manganese directly, but it signals the level of government backing now sitting behind Australian supply-chain investment more broadly, which is the exact terrain the forum’s panel discussion is built to cover. For attendees weighing exposure to Indonesia’s nickel policy shifts, the forum sits alongside CMN’s Indonesia critical minerals coverage as useful pre-reading.
Related Coverage
Readers preparing for the forum’s battery metals session may also want CMN’s top lithium producing countries ranking for context on where Australia sits globally, alongside the nickel price and manganese price pages for current benchmark levels heading into the event.
What is the Argus Critical Minerals Forum?
A single-afternoon market and investment briefing organised by Argus Media, bringing together producers, investors and policymakers to discuss rare earths, battery metals and nickel.
Where and when is the Argus Australia Critical Minerals Forum held?
At the Westin Perth’s Cassia and Karri Room, running from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM AWST on 19 August 2026.
Is the Argus Critical Minerals Forum free to attend?
Yes. Admission is free, but registration is required through Argus Media, with a confirmation email sent one week before the event.
What topics does the forum cover?
Three market sessions on rare earths, battery metals (lithium and manganese), and nickel, followed by a panel on investment and alternative supply chains.
How is the Argus forum different from the AusIMM Critical Minerals Conference?
The Argus forum is a single-afternoon commercial and policy briefing, while the AusIMM conference is a separate multi-day technical event built around papers for geologists and processing engineers.
Who typically attends the forum?
Producers, investors, policymakers and consumers from across the critical minerals value chain, reflecting its commercial and policy focus rather than a technical one.
