Locksley launches dual drilling campaign near US rare earths giant
The company today confirmed it has kicked off drilling at its rare earths and antimony-rich Mojave project in California, just as momentum continues to build around the White House's critical minerals agenda.
With claims abutting MP Materials' rare earth powerhouse at Mountain Pass and early sample grades up to 46 per cent antimony and 12.1 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO), Locksley might have fired the starter's pistol on one of the most strategic drilling campaigns in America this year.
The program is targeting two separate systems in a single swing, one for rare earths and one for antimony - and both have the potential to plug directly into federally backed initiatives for sovereign supply chain development. The first holes will test the company's El Campo prospect for rare earths over a defined 860-metre strike, while follow-up holes will hone in on the historic Desert antimony mine that's returning up to 1022 grams per tonne (g/t) silver and monster antimony grades at surface.
Importantly, all approvals are already in place and drilling is fully funded, following a $1.47 million placement to institutional and sophisticated investors.
Locksley is advancing a twin assault on two of the US's most strategically important but under-developed metals, rare earths and antimony.
It's a fair bet that not many Australians have heard of the dusty El Campo prospect in the far reaches of California's Mojave Desert, but it's a name that might just be about to find its way onto a very high-powered radar in Washington DC.
That's because ASX-listed Locksley Resources is sitting on ground that could position it smack bang in the middle of America's race to rewire its critical mineral supply chain away from China.
Locksley is advancing a twin assault on two of the US's most strategically important but under-developed metals, rare earths and antimony. Both are now recognised as critical to US defence and industrial applications, both have zero current domestic mine production and both are found in high grades at Locksley's wholly owned Mojave project in California.
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7NEWS
34 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Australian farmers desperate for answers over unrealised capital gains tax as Jim Chalmers works to overhaul super
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'And that's why when self-managed super funds came in, many farming families put their properties into these self-managed super funds, because that was a way — a vehicle — for them to be able to bring the next generation through.' The unpredictable nature of income as a farmer has raised questions about the practicality of paying tax on unrealised gains as an increase in the value of the land doesn't directly point to an increase in income for a farmer. Katie Nash, a farmer and rural advocate, has also questioned the policy. 'If the land value goes up but the income stays the same, how are they supposed to pay the tax without selling the farm?' she said. 'How are they supposed to survive that?' However not everyone is sympathetic to the situation. Graeme Samuel AC, a professor at Monash University's Business School in Melbourne, said putting property into super wasn't about inheritance — but tax avoidance. 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'It also takes away from that family farming unit, which we all know needs to stick together — especially in tough times — to survive.' Jochinke wants the government to reconsider the legislation. 'The principle of having to pay a tax on an uncystallised asset is completely wrong and what we consider un-Australian,' he said. 'Let's actually have a talk about how we can manage superannuation when the assets crystallise, when farmers have got the cash to pay. And that's what we're just calling for. Let's make this a common sense piece of legislation, not a ridiculous one.' Sarah Tulloch, a farmer from NSW who has seen first-hand the impact of the pressures farmers, said she was worried about adding another pressure on the industry. 'They will lose a lot more than just their properties. There's farmers committing suicide daily just with what they've got going on at the moment with droughts and floods,' she said. 'To add this extra pressure, for people who are already doing it tough ... yeah, it's just not going to have good consequences.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers has repeatedly said he is committed to an overhaul on super taxation, saying it will make a meaningful difference in funding other priorities. reached out to the federal government in response to the concerns from farmers and farming families. 'We listen respectfully to the NFF and farmers but this is a modest change, introduced in a methodical way, that won't affect the vast majority of Australians,' a spokesperson said. 'Our changes only apply to about half a per cent of people with more than $3 million in super, who will still get generous tax concessions, just slightly less generous ones. The changes are all about making our superannuation system fairer and more sustainable.'
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Good to go': Why now is the best time for Aussies to lodge tax returns
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9 News
5 hours ago
- 9 News
Aussies told to avoid more parts of Thailand as locals flee fighting along border
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Australians are being warned to avoid more parts of holiday hotspot Thailand , as conflict with neighbouring Cambodia increases. More areas have been added to the list of places Aussies should "reconsider" going to, as tens of thousands of local people sought refuge as border fighting entered a second day, heightening fears of an extended conflict. "Armed conflict between Thai and Cambodian forces along the Thai-Cambodian border has increased," Smartraveller says. Thai residents evacuate from their homes following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Sisaket province, Thailand, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP) "We now advise reconsider your need to travel to eight districts in the Chanthaburi and Trat provinces. Martial law has been declared in these areas." Chanthaburi is a town on the Chanthaburi River famous for growing durian. Trat is Thailand's eastern-most province, about 315km from Bangkok. Earlier warnings were made against going to the areas of Buriram, Si Saket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani provinces along the Cambodia border. Smartraveller also warned Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the Cambodian border provinces of Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey. The Cambodian provinces are just north of Siem Reap, a historic city globally famous for stunning temples such as Angkor Wat. Smartraveller reports military strikes, violence and landmines and says there have been casualties. Border crossings in the area are closed. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors on Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. A Thai resident prepares to evacuate from home following clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Sisaket province, Thailand, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP) The council did not issue a statement but a council diplomat said all 15 members called on the parties to deescalate, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully. The council also urged the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations known as ASEAN, to help resolve the border fighting, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chhea Keo told reporters afterward that his country, which called for the emergency meeting, "asked for immediate ceasefires, unconditionally, and we also call for the peaceful solution to the dispute." He responded to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand asking how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, stressing, "We do not do that." Keo said the Security Council called for both sides to exercise "maximum restraint and resort to diplomatic solution" which is what Cambodia is calling for as well. Cambodians who fled their villages take refuge in Wat Tham Kambar in Oddar Meanchey province, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2025, as Thai and Cambodian soldiers have clashed along the border between their countries in a major escalation. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith) (AP) Asked what he expects next, the ambassador said: "Let's see how the call can be heard by all the members there." Thailand's UN ambassador left the meeting without stopping to talk to reporters. The Thai Health Ministry said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border. The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand — mostly civilians —while Cambodia confirmed its first fatality on Friday. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said on Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the "utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression" from Cambodia. Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. Thai forces examine a landmine near the Cambodian border. (AP) The Thai military reported clashes early on Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours. The Thai army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as "appropriate supporting fire" in return. Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed, including children, while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Cambodia's chief official in Oddar Meanchey province, Gen. Khov Ly, said a man died Thursday after a Thai rocket hit a Buddhist pagoda where he was hiding. At least four civilians in the province were also wounded on Thursday. The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed. The Thai army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using "human shields" by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Thai people who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers take shelter in Surin province, northeastern Thailand, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Sunny Chittawil) (AP Photo/Sunny Chittawil) As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80 kilometres from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks. Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai was accompanied by four cats in two fabric carriers. She said she was doing laundry at her home near Ta Muen Thom temple when shelling began on Thursday. "I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared," she recalled. Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. "Children, old people, were hit out of the blue," she said. "I never imagined it would be this violent." At the nearby Phanom Dong Rak hospital, periodic explosions could be heard on Friday, and a military truck arrived with three injured Thai soldiers, including one who had both legs severed. Thursday's shelling shattered windows at one of the hospital's buildings and damaged its roof. In the neighboring Sisaket province, more villagers took their belongings and left homes in a stream of cars, trucks and motorbikes after they received an evacuation order on Friday. Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside. Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. A remote Buddhist temple surrounded by rice fields accommodated several hundred evacuated villagers. Women rested in hammocks, some cradling babies, while children ran about. Makeshift plastic tents were being set up under the trees. Veng Chin, 74, pleaded with both governments to negotiate a settlement "so that I can return to my home and work on the farm." A convenience store at a gas station is damaged after Cambodia fired artillery shells in Sisaket province, Thailand, Friday, July 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (AP) The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between ASEAN member countries though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbour Myanmar. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, but requested more time before implementing the action, according to a report by Malaysia's Bernama national news agency. Anwar said he had spoken to both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's Phumtham and urged them to open space for "peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution," while offering to have Malaysia facilitate talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. It's the latest flareup in longstanding border tensions The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Things got worse when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday, leading Bangkok to close the border and expel the Cambodian ambassador. The next day, clashes broke out along the border. Thailand Cambodia World conflict Travel CONTACT US
