It has been economics, as Alex Turnball says, and just not been seriously considered to extract by for instance Rio, taking costs of extraction and then managing the specifics of having a byproduct gallium for on- sale — it wasn’t worth their bother to be considering .
It would require government support and indeed intervention, a central decision to extract and secure domestic gallium production. As Alex T quickly referenced- the Aust government could for instance say- please process (this existing ) waste material, and extract gallium and we will pay you $X for it. (+ support this development and endeavours)
Effectively everything is via more centralised decisions in China, ie government central support to produce gallium , + now a significant % raw elements. REEs, lithium including . The Chinese calculate the end products, finished goods need for and price returns, the price can sell or export sell the bigger end products for- they value add on enormously, greatly to for instance every tonne of lithium imported from Australia also.
Also they consider very much, as governments must if important enough- how production provides employment across their country and population, and sustains overall industrial production across all sectors and fields.
The Chinese seek to be self- sufficient to a significant degree—and ensure to have all they need to produce and make all that they do. And they think way way into the future- maybe something is loss making now, or inconsequential it’s unit cost as produced, but they establish and setup and then sustain industries, the overall huge complexities every industrial scale product production, and mature their production and an industry over years, into decades ahead then they are experts and just so far ahead positioned globally. Then they improve all, counter costs and inefficiencies + capitalise on the cheap inputs they have inc byproduct elements and units. The Chinese have hundreds of engineers of all types, & chemists, multiples more than we can imagine — working on every aspect of products, evolving chemistry and tech including.
To lead in fields overall , producing as they do- They get, produce/extract/ do & order what they have to do, so that actually ultimately specific individual economics of each raw element, are a way lesser/ or not regarded as a concern really at all, along with localised environmental destruction or deleterious effects or abuses labour and excessive energy use including — within the overall scheme of the country.
Centralised economy more, gallium an example— production of gallium occurred due to the need for it . (Australia we import what we don’t have, pay the price, plus our balance of trade with China became in our favour and importing from China important . We’ve been spoilt + could never remotely compete in producing the things China produces, that we need. )
We don’t produce what isn’t economic as well as very compelling locally or nationally with also the people to lead it and to do it. Local social licence and infrastructure, materials etc to do something. Chinese - supported by government, has meant gallium relatively has not been expensive, until now somewhat but more the fact that it now is scarce, as there has also been excess gallium supply for export from China.
Restrictions, bans on nuclear material from Russia into the US, adds to the real difficulties - for having sufficient nuclear isotopes for nuclear radiopharmaceuticals in the US.
(20min delay)