Scale: The NSW minerals industry is one of the biggest sectors in NSW, producing more than $11 billion of resources each year with exports worth more than $4 billion. It is equivalent in size to the State’s entire farm sector including wool, crops and livestock.
Employment: The NSW minerals industry currently employs around 46,000 people, mainly in rural and regional areas including the Hunter Valley, Namoi Valley, Lake Macquarie area, Broken Hill, Lithgow, Illawarra, Cobar and Orange. A further 200,000 jobs in NSW are reliant on the minerals industry.
Return to government: The NSW minerals industry contributes more than a billion dollars to government in royalty payments and state and federal taxes ($1.5 billion in FY 2006). The NSW Government is by far the largest single beneficiary, receiving around 50 per cent of pre-tax profits. The Federal Government receives a further 25 per cent. As the largest customer of the State-owned NSW rail network and the ports of Newcastle and Port Kembla, the industry also pays over half a billion dollars ($700 in FY 2005) to government towards the cost of these facilities as well as other service costs such as water and electricity.
Composition: In NSW, coal accounts for around 80 per cent of the total value of mineral production. Metallic minerals (gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, tin, antimony and titanium), industrial minerals (gemstones, limestone, clays, etc) and construction materials (sand, gravel, stone, etc) account for 20 per cent.
Mine rehabilitation: Mining is a temporary use of the land. Following mining, the land is returned to a stable and self-sustaining condition. The minerals industry in Australia has spent $2.8 billion rehabilitating closed operations. As well as ongoing rehabilitation works, mining companies in NSW have set aside around $320 million in rehabilitation security bonds.
Contribution to NSW economy, businesses and communities: The NSW minerals industry is the state’s largest materials exporter - coal exports alone are sufficient to power the current electricity requirements of New Zealand, Indonesia and Singapore. Mining companies in NSW spend more than $1 billion a year on local and regional suppliers, and contribute more than $5 million a year for amenities in the communities amongst whom they operate. Coal supplied by the NSW mining industry generates more than 90 per cent of the electricity used in NSW, which enjoys the second cheapest electricity in Australia.
State of the Industry Report 2007
This industry report for the NSW minerals industry has been developed to provide our stakeholders with a concise snapshot of the industry and an insight into the breadth and scale of its operations.
Click here to view/download Report