The Queensland government has announced a shortlist of companies to tender for the development of the A$25-billion Aurukun bauxite deposit, in Cape York.

The Queensland government called for expressions of interest to develop the deposit in November last year, and Australia’s largest aluminium maker, Cape Alumina, partnered with Asian diversified commodities trader Noble Group and Qube Bulk to lodge an expression of interest.

The Cape Alumina consortium was one of five groups on the shortlist, along with the Aluminium Corporation, of China, Australian Indigenous Resources, Glencore International and Rio Tinto Aluminium.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Devel- opment, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said the development of the Aurukun bauxite resource was essential to the creation of a vibrant economic future for the Aurukun community, native titleholders and all Queenslanders.

“The [Anna] Bligh government’s failed strategy to demand the establishment of a refinery made development of the resource uneconomic. We want to ensure the economic benefits of this resource flow back into the Aurukun community. We will see these benefits through mining jobs and improvements to infrastructure and further benefits through businesses that could be established in Aurukun to service the mine,” he said.

The five shortlisted companies would now have until mid-September to submit their detailed proposals for the mine to government for evaluation, with Seeney saying government was working towards a final decision on a preferred proponent by year-end.

He noted that the commercial terms were based on the State’s key objectives for the development, namely that the project should maximise the benefits and returns from the project to the native titleholders – the Wik and Wik Way people represented by the Ngan Aak-Kunch Aboriginal Corporation – and the Aurukun Shire Council.

“Our key objectives are to maximise the benefits and returns from the mine to the native titleholders and the Aurukun community and to maximise the financial returns to Queensland.”