This chapter examines the roles that various cross- cutting enablers can play to overcome the barriers and bottlenecks facing Australia’s green iron industry and accelerate its development. These include: –Finance enablers: both public and private sector, such as increasing demand signals and offtake, clean commodity trading instruments and blended finance to de-risk investments. –Policy enablers: including government measures to improve affordability of green power, expedited permissions, internationally- aligned certification, social licence and skills development. –Infrastructure enablers: the role of green iron hubs, industrial clusters and Lighthouse projects in accelerating transition through shared infrastructure and inspirational examples. –Regional enablers: such as government collaboration with Asian partners to boost regional low-carbon trade, green export corridors and alignment of carbon pricing mechanisms.Australia stands at a pivotal moment in its economic history. As the global economy rapidly decarbonises, an unprecedented opportunity has emerged for Australia to transform from a conventional, low value-added commodity exporter into a global leader in value-added clean commodities. This is not just an environmental imperative—it represents Australia’s most significant economic and geostrategic opportunity in generations. Elizabeth Thurbon and Oliver Yates, Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue Australia’s supply- and demand-side challenges are well understood and were a major focus of discussions at the workshop. An indicative survey of participants revealed the following barriers to accelerating green iron in Australia (see Figure 4): –Delivery of green electricity at sufficient rates and competitive price point (35%) –Absence of a strong commercial signal, e.g. carbon price or green premium (34%) –Cost of green hydrogen production and storage infrastructure (15%) –Access to adequate low-cost finance (11%) –Lack of proven commercial technology for low- emissions Pilbara grade ore processing (3%) This chapter analyses these barriers in greater depth, through the lenses of finance, policy and infrastructure enablers.4.1 Barriers and bottlenecks facing Australia’s green iron industry Unlocking Asia-Pacific as a First Mover: Australia’s Green Iron Opportunity 28

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