Understand, what you are saying. These two articles below...

Understand, what you are saying. These two articles below explains that too - apart from FIRB restrictions the government, in combination with the US by the looks of it, are devising strategies to break up China's dominance in critical minerals usuage and supply. How that transforms to Australian operations having critical minerals will be interesting, and what support the Australian government will provide them for their development .
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-19/australian-critical-mineral-supply-to-be-guaranteed-by-us/11716726

If you look at what the government is saying are critical minerals they include rare earths, vanadium, lithium, tungsten etc - see left hand side of the link below
https://minerals.org.au/sites/default/files/Critical%20minerals_MCA_FINAL.pdf

This article below makes that link as well in the rejection of Chinese investment in NTU, for example:
https://*********.com.au/federal-government-critical-metals-blocks-chinese-investment-northern-minerals/

If the above link doesn't work copy this into a google search:
federal-government-critical-metals-blocks-chinese-investment-northern-minerals (the article from ********* is what I am referring too)

Appears too me the government will be taking a greater interest in these minerals, but will also be interesting what actual role the government also plays in their development and what constraints they will put on foreign investment. Reading the links, it would appear too me that deliberate decisions - since start of this year when the strategies started coming out - are been made to restrict Chinese dominance in these minerals, so how China responds will be interesting. Reading this and now tying this into the NTU and AVZ decision, it appears too me foreign investment in those minerals will be allowed, but significant constraints will be placed on Chinese investment IMO.

Given LTR share registry is essentially 'clean' it would be interesting how the deposit will be developed and whether the Commonwealth my also even seek to aid its devlopment (refer AVL where it received "Major Project Status" from the Commonwealth, as did a few prospective rare earth projects).
https://www.business.gov.au/Grants-and-Programs/Major-Project-Status/Current-Major-Projects

But that is a guess.

All IMO