When you mention radiation, it can create a lot of fear in...

When you mention radiation, it can create a lot of fear in people. Everyone has their own agenda.

Lynas originally wanted to ship the ore to China because they are already setup for processing. However, China restricted rare earth exports so Lynas had to find another alternative.

I think the reason for Lynas processing in Malaysia is that it was the most economical chose after china. I have read that Lynas considered Australia and Europe but found them to be prohibitively expensive for processing.

Most of the rare earths processed would not even be shipped back to Oz. Asia is where most rare earth metals are converted into parts for consumer goods, so even if it was processed in Oz most of the processed earths would have to be shipped to Asia anyway. Hence, they probably would not be saving anything in terms of shipping costs if they processed in Oz.

So it makes sense to me that it is more economical to process near your biggest buying market. Not to mention the cheaper labor costs.