Australia and India have signed a Joint Statement on Energy Security in Melbourne, committing to accelerate renewable energy deployment and electrification backed by secure critical minerals supply chains. The agreement links Australian lithium, rare earths and other battery metals projects to India’s fast‑growing solar, wind and grid‑scale storage build‑out, with both governments signalling support for long‑term offtake and investment frameworks. For miners, the move points to stronger demand signals, potential bilateral funding mechanisms and closer alignment of project development with Indian OEM and battery manufacturing needs.

Nunavut’s devolution, scheduled for 1 April 2027, will shift land, water and resource management – including mineral claims and tenure on Crown lands – from Ottawa to Iqaluit, in a territory where mining contributed C$1.45 billion, or 35% of GDP, in 2025. Major operations such as Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank-Amaruq and Meliadine, B2Gold’s Goose and Baffinland’s Mary River currently sit wholly or partly on Inuit Owned Lands, so royalty flows will not materially change until new Crown land mines are developed. Territorial officials are drafting “mirror” legislation to replicate federal permitting so approvals for projects and exploration programmes continue without interruption on day one.

The House of Lords has advanced a proposed Nature’s Rights Bill that would recognise ecosystems and species as legal subjects, a move set to reshape planning, EIA and consent processes for major infrastructure. Treating rivers, wetlands and habitats as rights-bearing entities could require project promoters to evidence not only mitigation and biodiversity net gain, but also non‑degradation of an ecosystem’s “rights” over the asset life. Contractors and designers may face tighter constraints on route selection, earthworks, drainage and in‑river works, and more litigation risk from environmental NGOs acting as legal guardians.