Rio Tinto accused of squeezing out local businesses in town it plans to exit

The closure of Australia's Gove Peninsula bauxite mine in 2029 represents a material loss of resource sovereignty and processing capacity in a critical mineral. Bauxite/alumina production underpins downstream aluminium manufacturing and defence-industrial applications; loss of this production base narrows Australia's strategic autonomy in mineral supply and increases dependence on foreign processing, weakening Pillar 1 (Resource Sovereignty) and Pillar 3 (Industrial Base).