In short: The Mount Isa copper smelter is set to close in 2030. Mining giant Glencore is looking for a government bailout so it can continue operating ahead of that time.

Swiss commodities giant Glencore said it will close the Mount Isa Mines underground copper operations and copper concentrator in Australia in the second half of 2025.

Mount Isa mines, whose copper operations produced 191,612 tons of copper cathode in 2022, is the second-largest copper producer in Australia, according to Glencore's website.

The state and federal governments have held high-level talks with Glencore over the future of the Mount Isa copper smelter and Townsville refinery, the Townsville Bulletin can reveal.

By 2030, the outback city of Mount Isa will find out. The famous candy-cane-striped copper smelter, or stack, gave the mining town of more than 18,000 residents its nickname.