Experts say Australia has the capacity to reactivate domestic production of helium, presenting an opportunity for the nation to leverage its position as a producer in the global supply chain.
Although most people know of helium from party balloons, it is actually a gas vital for healthcare technology.
Helium has been in short supply since March, as a result of the conflict that started after the Israeli government bombing Iranian energy infrastructures tied to the world’s largest natural gas field, South Pars.
Engineering professor Dr Arup George, from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), told the ABC that helium was used for the manufacture of microchips and semiconductors, but the gas was removed from the critical minerals list in 2023.
Dr George said he and other experts believed the Australian government should return helium back to the critical mineral list.
This also raises the alarm for health authorities around the world and in Australia, as the compound is essential for medical equipment, such as MRI machines.
Radiography nurse Kathy Tran, from Footscray Hospital, said MRI scans were central to her place of work.
“Through MRI scans, doctors could find serious diagnosis such as cancer,” Tran said in an interview.
“MRI scans provide very detailed scans [and] can scan pretty much anything… Without scanning, doctors are not able to diagnose.”
Dr George said helium was an important resource for Australia to produce, as he argues in this article, No helium, no chips: why Australia needs to make the gas again.
“By becoming a trusted helium source, Australia could gain leverage it has never had in the global semiconductor supply chain,” Dr George wrote.
If MRI machines become unavailable, which are heavily reliant on helium as a coolant, Ms Tran says this would have a “big impact” on patient diagnosis, complicating the jobs of various healthcare workers and professionals like herself.
With 90 per cent of helium being supplied by United States and Qatar, experts like Dr George urge the Australian government to start reinvesting in recovering the gas domestically.
This not only has the capacity to benefit Australia’s role in the global supply chain but also for the healthcare industry.
Feature image: MRI Machine. Source: Google images (Creative Commons)
