• Connect with us
    • Information
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Careers
      • Partnerships
      • Advertise With Us
      • Authors
      • Browse Topics
      • Events
      • Disclaimer
      • Privacy Policy
    • Australia
      North America
      World
    Login

    Investing News NetworkYour trusted source for investing success

    • North America
      Australia
      World
    • My INN
    Videos
    Companies
    Press Releases
    Private Placements
    SUBSCRIBE
    • Reports & Guides
      • Market Outlook Reports
      • Investing Guides
    • Button
    Resource
    • Precious Metals
    • Battery Metals
    • Base Metals
    • Energy
    • Critical Metals
    Tech
    Life Science
    Australia Market
    Australia News
    Australia Stocks
    • Australia Market
    • Australia News
    • Australia Stocks
    1. Home>
    2. Australia Investing>
    Loading...
    0

    Where They Rank: Australian Mining Jurisdictions

    Matthew Flood
    Oct. 30, 2023 01:45PM PST

    Here’s a look at Australian mining jurisdictions, including how much the country’s states export and how they compare to their foreign peers.

    closeup of australia on world map with a small australia flag in the middle
    hyotographics / Shutterstock

    Australia is well known as a prolific mining nation, with large sections of its economy built on mining since the mid-1800s onwards.

    Minerals and fuels account for around 50 percent of Australia’s export merchandise, according to Geosciences Australia.

    But not all states in Australia are equal. The premier jurisdiction and source of mineral wealth is the state of Western Australia, which takes up the western third of the arid continent, but there are mineral riches through the country.


    Australian mining jurisdictions: The states themselves

    According to the Government of Western Australia, Western Australia accounted for AU$247 billion, or 41.4 percent, of the country’s total goods exports in the 2021/2022 period — despite being home to only 10 percent of the national population.

    The majority of exports from Western Australia were, of course, natural resources, with the state accounting for 39 percent of global iron ore supply in 2022 at 855 million tonnes. The state's mining industry brought in AU$186.8 billion in 2021/2022.

    Next in line for total exports was Queensland, accounting for over AU$125 billion in exports in 2021/2022. Of that total, more than half came from coal exports, with AU$67.75 billion worth of the black sooty rock departing Australian shores from mines in Queensland.

    The remaining minerals made up AU$10.98 billion, with the largest contributor being copper. The rest of its mineral output was largely zinc, lead and aluminum.

    For the 2021/2022 period, New South Wales contributed another AU$41.5 billion in coal exports and AU$6.8 billion in other minerals (mostly gold and aluminum), and Tasmania made AU$2.98 billion in mineral exports, with AU$987 million coming from refined zinc.

    In the same period, South Australia made AU$806.6 million in iron ore and concentrates and AU$1.79 billion in refined copper and copper products.

    Finally, despite exporting AU$50.16 billion in goods and services in 2021/2022, Victoria’s mineral exports added up to just AU$1.3 billion in aluminum, with the majority of the goods exported from the southern state being mostly agricultural products.

    Returning to natural gas, while export numbers from each state weren’t reported by DFAT, national statistics from the same department show the resource was worth AU$49.8 billion in export value in 2021.

    Australian mining jurisdictions: Where they rank globally

    With such a huge contribution to Australia’s overall economy due to mining, Western Australia attracts global attention — and global comparisons.

    According to the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies 2022, Western Australia ranked second on its Investment Attractiveness Index, behind the US state of Nevada.

    The annual survey questions mining and exploration companies operating in jurisdictions around the world on a number of different issues, including administrative processes, environmental regulations, government transparency, ease of permitting, infrastructure, trade, security and availability of labour.

    After Western Australia, as per the Fraser Institute’s data, the Northern Territory and South Australia were the second and third most attractive Australian jurisdictions respectively, coming in at sixth and ninth place overall globally.

    As for how the remaining states fall, Queensland is in 13th place, New South Wales is in 23rd, Victoria is in 47th and Tasmania in 50th out of 62 jurisdictions.

    Besides Nevada, the US had another two states in the top 10: Colorado came in fifth place globally, while Arizona came in seventh.

    Canada also had multiple provinces place in the top 10: Saskatchewan in third place, Newfoundland and Labrador in fourth and Quebec in eighth.

    FAQs for Australian mining jurisdictions

    Where are most mines in Australia?

    Australia has over 350 operating mine sites, of which approximately one-third are located in Western Australia, one-quarter in Queensland and one-fifth in New South Wales, making them the three major mining states.

    This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2021.

    Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!

    Securities Disclosure: I, Matthew Flood, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

    The Conversation (0)
    Go Deeper
    AI Powered
    Gold nuggets on black surface.

    Top 10 Biggest Gold Mines in Australia

    Australian gold nugget coins and gold nuggets on a wooden surface.

    5 Biggest ASX Gold-mining Companies in 2025

    Matthew  Flood

    Matthew Flood

    Matthew Flood is a writer and editor from Montreal, Canada. He's been writing professionally for four years on a wide array of topics ranging from investments and real estate to cookware and home improvement. Matt also enjoys creative writing and has written two novels and a novella.

    Latest News

    EUR Sells 0.5m CRML Shares for U$1.8m (A$2.7m)

    Trading Halt

    Lo Herma Drilling Permit & Contract Confirmed

    Sarama Resources Completes Mt Venn Gold Project Acquisition

    Trading Halt

    More News

    Outlook Reports

    Resource
    • Precious Metals
      • Gold
      • Silver
    • Battery Metals
      • Lithium
      • Cobalt
      • Graphite
    • Energy
      • Uranium
      • Oil and Gas
    • Base Metals
      • Copper
      • Nickel
      • Zinc
    • Critical Metals
      • Rare Earths
    • Industrial Metals
    • Agriculture
    Tech
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Cybersecurity
      • Gaming
      • Cleantech
      • Emerging Tech
    Life Science
      • Biotech
      • Cannabis
      • Psychedelics
      • Pharmaceuticals

    Featured Australia Investing Stocks

    More featured stocks

    Browse Companies

    Resource
    • Precious Metals
    • Battery Metals
    • Energy
    • Base Metals
    • Critical Metals
    Tech
    Life Science
    MARKETS
    COMMODITIES
    CURRENCIES
    ×
    Matthew  Flood

    Matthew Flood

    Matthew Flood is a writer and editor from Montreal, Canada. He's been writing professionally for four years on a wide array of topics ranging from investments and real estate to cookware and home improvement. Matt also enjoys creative writing and has written two novels and a novella.

    Full Bio

    Learn about our editorial policies.