Gallipoli joins eight other companies in an industry reference group formed by the Queensland Government to provide advice on how to “prepare a robust international competitive bidding process”

Joining Gallipoli is Gulf Alumina Pty Ltd – associated with Skardon River Kaolin Pty and its development in western Cape York, north of Weipa – with the rest of the group comprising heavyweights Alcoa (AWAC), BHP Billiton, Chinese company CHALCO, Russian outfit RUSAL, Comalco and Mitsubishi.

Also on the group is Alcan, which held the lease at Aurukun for a short time after taking over leaseholder Pechiney in December 2003. However the Queensland Government had decided earlier in 2003 to strip Pechiney of the lease on the basis that the French company hadn’t developed an operation by 1988 as required by the Aurukun Associates Agreement Act 1975.

The other three companies that registered an interest in the project but didn’t get an industry reference group guernsey, weren’t disclosed.

Work in the 1960s and 70s suggested Aurukun contains around 500 million tonnes, with 600 holes to be drilled over the next six months to confirm the resource.

The bidding process is currently flagged to start in around four months time.

Gauci is the former chief of MIM Holdings.