Mining has been integral to the development of Australia, from the gold rushes of the 19th Century, through the iron ore and nickel booms of the 1960s, and the later growth of the coal industry, to the current booming demand for minerals to fuel the industrial growth of much of the rest of the world. Mining has been a driving force for much of the exploration of Australia’s remote inland and for Australia’s industrial development.
Australia has benefited greatly from the current resources boom, reflected in high rates of economic growth, record low levels of unemployment and increasing incomes for Australians. The strength of the mineral resource sector is critical to Australia’s economic performance and over the next five years, the Australian mining sector is forecast to realise the full benefit of recent high levels of investment.