help Australian processors compete with China. Nyrstar is seeking additional taxpayer funding to keep its lead and zinc smelter operating in Port Pirie, warning that hundreds of regional jobs are at risk as international competition intensifies. The facility, which employs around 800 workers, is considered a cornerstone of the local economy. Mick Hopgood said government support is essential if Australian smelters are to compete with China's dominance in critical minerals such as antimony. Grant Petagna, whose family has worked at the site for three generations, said the city could become a "ghost town" if the smelter were forced to close. Nyrstar received a $135 million state and federal assistance package last year and is now seeking further support to maintain operations in Port Pirie and at its zinc smelter in Hobart, which employs about 500 people. The company says the Port Pirie operation has been losing tens of millions of dollars each month due to global market distortions and pricing pressures, highlighting the strategic importance of domestic metals processing for Australia’s critical minerals industry.