Minister's comments regarding NWI, page-61

I reckon you're right to assume the big three would have done their homework.

Ergo, doesn't that make the motivations behind Twiggy's and Rinehart's 19.9% stakes start to look a little suspect? Don't those stakes start to look more like blocking stakes, and not much else?

In Ellison's case, he clearly thinks he can stand up an argument that he is 'junior'.

And, again, I reckon you're right - it's a lay down misere Ellison had some prior chats. Don't forget, he issued the announcement about 'juniors' and port access BEFORE the 2 ministers came out and said, essentially, 'What he said".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we're talking 2 sets of port access rights - Atlas's existing capacity at Port Hedland (Utah Point?), and prospective capacity via the NWI?

Ellison's initial pitch for Atlas was aimed at using the existing capacity for Lithium (tying it into the Wodgina supply chain).

The NWI pitch of Ellison's, as referenced by the PPA fella, looks separate (and I haven't read when Ellison 'expressed' an interest - to the PPA - in developing one of the 2 chunks in the plan).

The PPA fella is suggesting the Atlas rights to the planned NWI port rights 'lapsed' some considerable time ago.

It would seem to me that Ellison knew they'd lapsed and, accordingly, 'expressed' an interest in taking a chunk, and developing it.

It would help if we knew when Ellison expressed an interest. But, I suspect it was done before and separately from the Atlas bid.