{"id":1496,"date":"2026-06-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/?p=1496"},"modified":"2026-06-25T19:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:07:24","slug":"australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A landmark shift is unfolding in the <strong>rare<\/strong> earths market, with Canberra striking a <strong>record<\/strong> agreement that resets the balance of supply, investment, and influence. The deal vaults Australia into a <strong>commanding<\/strong> position, signaling that the contest over critical minerals is as much about trust and standards as it is about <strong>tonnage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Early details suggest a <strong>multi-year<\/strong> commitment that binds miners, refiners, and manufacturers across continents under clear <strong>sustainability<\/strong> rules. \u201cThis is a supply-chain <strong>moment<\/strong>,\u201d said one senior industry <strong>observer<\/strong>, pointing to the breadth of offtake and processing embedded in the <strong>arrangement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What makes this moment different<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>For years, rare earths have been the <strong>quiet<\/strong> backbone of electric vehicles, wind turbines, and advanced <strong>defense<\/strong> systems. Australia, long a reliable <strong>supplier<\/strong>, is now stepping forward as an architect of the <strong>system<\/strong> itself.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>By securing long-dated <strong>offtake<\/strong> and co-investment in processing, the pact breaks the old model of shipping <strong>concentrates<\/strong> offshore. It lays out a framework for beneficiation at <strong>home<\/strong>, magnet-grade outputs, and transparent <strong>auditing<\/strong> across the chain.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The scale behind the headlines<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Insiders describe it as the largest deal by <strong>committed<\/strong> tonnage and total <strong>value<\/strong>, spanning heavy and light rare <strong>earths<\/strong>. The package reportedly bundles infrastructure, long-term pricing <strong>bands<\/strong>, and shared research into lower-impact <strong>chemistry<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Crucially, the agreement includes \u201cbuy-clean\u201d <strong>criteria<\/strong>, aligning with automaker climate <strong>targets<\/strong> and defense procurement <strong>rules<\/strong>. That linkage channels premium <strong>capital<\/strong> toward projects that prove lower emissions and stronger <strong>community<\/strong> consent.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>How Australia outmaneuvered rivals<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Canberra has fused policy with <strong>practice<\/strong>: faster approvals linked to rigorous <strong>standards<\/strong>, targeted credit guarantees, and sovereign funds primed for <strong>midstream<\/strong> buildout. The result is a domestic processing track that investors can actually <strong>underwrite<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Equally important is <strong>credibility<\/strong>. Buyers want resilience without <strong>friction<\/strong>, diversification without political <strong>whiplash<\/strong>. \u201cSecurity of supply is no longer a <strong>slogan<\/strong>,\u201d said a procurement <strong>executive<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s a specification you can <strong>contract<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Geopolitics in the background, not the foreground<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>While great-power competition looms <strong>large<\/strong>, the architecture of this deal avoids zero-sum <strong>rhetoric<\/strong>. Partners are signing up for reliability, transparency, and shared <strong>upside<\/strong>, not for embargoes or <strong>exclusion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>That said, the ripple effects will be <strong>felt<\/strong>. Expect recalibration of export <strong>policies<\/strong>, faster friendshoring in allied <strong>markets<\/strong>, and renewed focus on magnet <strong>manufacturing<\/strong> nearer to end-use <strong>clusters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The ESG advantage turns into pricing power<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Rare earth supply has long carried an <strong>environmental<\/strong> shadow. Here, the pivot is toward waste <strong>minimization<\/strong>, water recycling, and traceability baked into <strong>contracts<\/strong>. When auditors can see from pit to <strong>magnet<\/strong>, premiums become easier to <strong>justify<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>One project leader put it <strong>plainly<\/strong>: \u201cWe\u2019re competing on grade, on cost, and on <strong>character<\/strong>.\u201d In a tight market, that <strong>character<\/strong>\u2014stable laws, community agreements, verifiable data\u2014becomes a tradeable <strong>asset<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Winners, risks, and what could go wrong<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Miners gain long-horizon <strong>visibility<\/strong>, processors secure throughput for continuous <strong>improvement<\/strong>, and OEMs get the planning confidence their factories <strong>need<\/strong>. Yet risks remain: construction <strong>overruns<\/strong>, reagent inflation, and the ever-present <strong>volatility<\/strong> of commodity cycles.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>There is also the challenge of <strong>talent<\/strong>. Hydrometallurgy and advanced separation demand specialized <strong>skills<\/strong>, and global competition for that expertise is <strong>intense<\/strong>. Training pipelines must scale as quickly as the <strong>plants<\/strong> themselves.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>Why this resets magnet supply<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Magnets are where value and <strong>leverage<\/strong> concentrate. By aligning upstream ore with midstream <strong>separation<\/strong> and downstream magnet capacity, Australia is stitching together what used to be <strong>fragmented<\/strong>. That cohesion cuts lead <strong>times<\/strong>, reduces quality drift, and anchors price <strong>discipline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Downstream buyers, especially in autos and <strong>aerospace<\/strong>, can now negotiate performance specs with fewer <strong>unknowns<\/strong>. Shorter logistics, clearer ESG data, and bankable <strong>tenors<\/strong> reduce project risk and improve capital <strong>efficiency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>What to watch next<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Investors and policymakers will track a few <strong>markers<\/strong> that turn promises into <strong>proof<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<ul><\/p>\n<li>Final investment decisions on refining and magnet <strong>facilities<\/strong><\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Commissioning timelines and first-article <strong>qualification<\/strong><\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Actualized emissions and water-use <strong>intensity<\/strong> versus targets<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Indigenous partnership outcomes and benefit-sharing <strong>metrics<\/strong><\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Recycling pilots that reclaim NdPr and Dy at commercial <strong>scale<\/strong><\/li>\n<p>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>The market signal is unmistakable<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Price is still the market\u2019s <strong>language<\/strong>, but reliability is now its <strong>grammar<\/strong>. This deal sets a template where buyers pay for security, standards, and long-term <strong>alignment<\/strong>, not just for the cheapest spot <strong>cargo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>In practical terms, that means fewer sudden <strong>shortages<\/strong>, smoother production ramps, and a clearer path for clean-tech <strong>deployment<\/strong>. It also means that trust\u2014codified in <strong>contracts<\/strong>, grounded in data\u2014has become the most valuable mineral of <strong>all<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"class_list":["post-1496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed - The Ponds | Shopping Centre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed - The Ponds | Shopping Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Ponds | Shopping Centre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thepondsshoppingcentre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-27T02:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elliot Wainford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elliot Wainford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elliot Wainford\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\"},\"headline\":\"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T02:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":735,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Uncategorized\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/\",\"name\":\"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed - The Ponds | Shopping Centre\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T02:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg\",\"width\":1360,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Shop At The Ponds\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Ponds | Shopping Centre\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755\",\"name\":\"Elliot Wainford\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Elliot Wainford\"},\"description\":\"Elliot Wainford is an economist specializing in consumer behavior, retail pricing dynamics, and local market ecosystems. He analyzes how small commercial hubs shape regional growth, employment, and household spending patterns. His work blends applied microeconomics with practical insights for merchants and community planners.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/shopattheponds.com.au\\\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","og_url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/","og_site_name":"The Ponds | Shopping Centre","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thepondsshoppingcentre","article_published_time":"2026-06-27T02:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1360,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elliot Wainford","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elliot Wainford","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/"},"author":{"name":"Elliot Wainford","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755"},"headline":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed","datePublished":"2026-06-27T02:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/"},"wordCount":735,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg","articleSection":["Uncategorized"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/","name":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed - The Ponds | Shopping Centre","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-27T02:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed-1496.jpg","width":1360,"height":768,"caption":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/australia-has-just-beaten-both-china-and-the-united-states-to-the-biggest-rare-earth-deal-ever-signed\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Shop At The Ponds","item":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Australia has just beaten both China and the United States to the biggest rare earth deal ever signed"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/","name":"The Ponds | Shopping Centre","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/690e9500db8734c67c1348893f26e755","name":"Elliot Wainford","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-avatar-96x96.png","caption":"Elliot Wainford"},"description":"Elliot Wainford is an economist specializing in consumer behavior, retail pricing dynamics, and local market ecosystems. He analyzes how small commercial hubs shape regional growth, employment, and household spending patterns. His work blends applied microeconomics with practical insights for merchants and community planners.","sameAs":["https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1552,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1496\/revisions\/1552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shopattheponds.com.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}