Mining in Western Australia, together with the petroleum industry in the state, accounted for almost 90 per cent of the State’s income from total merchandise exports in 2008-09. The state of Western Australia hosted, in 2008-09, 513 commercial mineral projects and 893 mining operations, as well as 64 operating oil and gas fields.
Western Australia’s mineral and petroleum industry, in 2009, had a value of A$61 billion, of which 48.2 billion were created by the mining industry. While the overall value of the industry suffered a setback in 2009, losing 17 percent in value compared to 2008, the mineral and petroleum industry nevertheless posted healthy gains over the last decade, growing, on average, annually by 15 percent. The cause of the loss in 2009 was attributed to the Global financial crisis, which saw the price for Iron ore, the most important commodity in the state, drop by 37 percent. On the other hand, Gold posted a substantial growth in value, with the price increasing by 12 percent.
Iron ore was, in 2009, the most important commodity in Western Australia, accounting for 46 percent of sales in the state's mineral and petroleum industry. The petroleum sector followed in second place with 28 percent of the overall value, consisting of oil and gas. The fourth-most important commodity in the state was Gold, which was also the only one in 2009 to experience a gain in prices, when every other one of the major commodities declined. Alumina and Nickel followed in the order of importance, still each achieving a value in excess of A$3 billion. Of the other majors, the Base Metals, Copper, Lead and Zinc, as well as Diamonds, Cobalt, Coal, Mineral Sands and Salt all stayed below the A$1 billion mark in value in 2009.
Employment in the Western Australian mining and petroleum industry has sharply increased, having more than doubled in the last 20 years, from just over 30,000 to over 75,000 in 2009.
The industry's regulating authority in Western Australia is the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP), which replaced the previously existing Department of Industry and Resources (DOIR) on 1 January 2009. The department, among other things, produces the annual Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum Statistic Digest and operates the MINDEX website, which is aimed at listing all current and former mining operations in the state.
Read more about Mining In Western Australia: History, Timeline, Safety, Official Reports
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