❓ Ms. Shaw questions claims that Victoria is Australia's mining hub, prompting the Minister to affirm Western Australia's dominance in the resources sector, citing production figures, investment, employment, and technological advantages.
AnsweredQoN 920Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RESOURCES SECTOR
920. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I acknowledge the presence in the
gallery of the Ellenbrook and Bullsbrook Youth Services. Thank you very much
for coming in today, guys.
I refer to recent claims that
apparently Victoria is Australia's hub for mining and resources. Can
the minister outline to the house whether this is correct; and, if not, can the
minister advise the house how Western Australia is doing the heavy lifting in
this sector and creating jobs?
920. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Mines and Petroleum:
I acknowledge the presence in the
gallery of the Ellenbrook and Bullsbrook Youth Services. Thank you very much
for coming in today, guys.
I refer to recent claims that
apparently Victoria is Australia's hub for mining and resources. Can
the minister outline to the house whether this is correct; and, if not, can the
minister advise the house how Western Australia is doing the heavy lifting in
this sector and creating jobs?
AnswerView source ↗
I was surprised to receive an
invitation to attend the International Mining and Resources Conference in
Melbourne from my good friend Tim Pallas, the Victorian Minister for Resources.
He invited me to come to Melbourne for IMARC, because Melbourne was the mining
hub of Australia. I want to make it clear that I was pleased to go to Melbourne
to correct the record. I will come back to Mr Pallas's comments in a minute,
but I will just make it clear that although Victoria produced $1.6 billion
worth of minerals in 2016–17, in the same year Western Australia
produced $86 billion worth of resources. Victoria did have the largest increase
in exploration expenditure, by percentage, to March 2018, when its total
expenditure for the year was $74 million, compared with the $1.2 billion
invested in exploration in Western Australia. Victoria has 11 000 employees in
the resources sector as of February of this year, compared with 112 000 here in
Western Australia. Historically, Victoria has 13 goldfields that have each
produced over one million ounces, which is a considerable production over the
history of the state, but Western Australia has produced 255 million ounces of
gold. Let us make it clear: Western Australia, with over half the resources
output for this nation, is where the heavy lifting is done.
I want to make it clear that the
reason we are successful at mining is not just that we are lucky enough to have
resources in the ground, it is that we have entrepreneurial business people,
the technology and the application of that technology to the mining and
resources sector, skilled workers, and the regulatory framework to deliver for
the resources sector. We have 350 mining equipment and technology service
companies, and 900 petroleum equipment and technology service companies. This
is the hub for Australia and Asia for the mining industry.
I will finish by saying that I compliment
Tim Pallas, because he understands that we have to be positive about industry
to get the most out of it. That is why I am always disappointed looking across
at the Liberals, who want to be negative about Western Australia's
resources sector. They always want to complain about the sector, and they are
always saying how bad things are instead of going on about how well we are
doing in this state, because this state is doing the heavy lifting for the
resources sector in this country.
invitation to attend the International Mining and Resources Conference in
Melbourne from my good friend Tim Pallas, the Victorian Minister for Resources.
He invited me to come to Melbourne for IMARC, because Melbourne was the mining
hub of Australia. I want to make it clear that I was pleased to go to Melbourne
to correct the record. I will come back to Mr Pallas's comments in a minute,
but I will just make it clear that although Victoria produced $1.6 billion
worth of minerals in 2016–17, in the same year Western Australia
produced $86 billion worth of resources. Victoria did have the largest increase
in exploration expenditure, by percentage, to March 2018, when its total
expenditure for the year was $74 million, compared with the $1.2 billion
invested in exploration in Western Australia. Victoria has 11 000 employees in
the resources sector as of February of this year, compared with 112 000 here in
Western Australia. Historically, Victoria has 13 goldfields that have each
produced over one million ounces, which is a considerable production over the
history of the state, but Western Australia has produced 255 million ounces of
gold. Let us make it clear: Western Australia, with over half the resources
output for this nation, is where the heavy lifting is done.
I want to make it clear that the
reason we are successful at mining is not just that we are lucky enough to have
resources in the ground, it is that we have entrepreneurial business people,
the technology and the application of that technology to the mining and
resources sector, skilled workers, and the regulatory framework to deliver for
the resources sector. We have 350 mining equipment and technology service
companies, and 900 petroleum equipment and technology service companies. This
is the hub for Australia and Asia for the mining industry.
I will finish by saying that I compliment
Tim Pallas, because he understands that we have to be positive about industry
to get the most out of it. That is why I am always disappointed looking across
at the Liberals, who want to be negative about Western Australia's
resources sector. They always want to complain about the sector, and they are
always saying how bad things are instead of going on about how well we are
doing in this state, because this state is doing the heavy lifting for the
resources sector in this country.
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