[2] The industry focuses on the mining of bauxite, the primary raw material for alumina and aluminium.

[2] Open cut mining involves first removing the area above the bauxite ore called the overburden.

Much of the topsoil is stored, conserving seeds, vegetation and soil for rehabilitation when mining operations finish.

The hauled bauxite is then crushed and ground into smaller particles which allow for easy transportation to refineries and exportation.

The generally high quality and low level of impurities in Australian bauxite means it does not need heavy processing or treatment.

Australia is also the largest exporter and second highest producer of alumina worldwide, with 17% of global production.

[1] China dominates Australia's bauxite ore exports taking more than 95% of total production.

[1] Weipa bauxite mine is located on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland and currently owned by Rio Tinto.

[12] The deposit was originally part of Aboriginal reserves but was leased to Comalco (now known as Rio Tinto) to mine after the “Commonwealth Aluminium Corporation Pty.

[2][1] Bauxite was discovered on Arnhem Land reserves in the Gove Peninsula by the Northern Territory Coastal Patrol Service in 1952.

[19][20] The discovery in Gove was mainly driven by the demand for domestic bauxite sources by the government in response to World War II.

This was because, up till then aluminium supply in Australia had largely depended on foreign bauxite mining and smelting.

[22] These amendments eventually led to the Yirrkala bark petitions[23] in 1963, which fought for the recognition of the Yolngu people as the rightful owners of Arnhem land.

Commonwealth policy for Gove was centred on two objectives: the industrial development of bauxite refineries in the remote areas of northern Australia, and significant Australian equity in the enterprise.

With these objectives in mind, the Commonwealth Government judged companies seeking the bauxite deposits until 1968 when they signed an agreement with Nabalco.

[31] While this has had an impact on employment in the local town of Nhulunbuy,[32] bauxite production has been largely unaffected due to proximity and high export demand from China.

In 1961, Alcoa obtained a mineral lease ML1sa, which provided them access to bauxite ores in certain areas of the Jarrah forest.

This is largely due to public pressure and restoration technology advancements which have led to tighter legislation.

[41] The Boddington deposit area was obtained by South32 through a mining lease granted under the Alumina Refinery (Worsley) Agreement Act 1973.

[42] Bald Hill Mine is located in Campbell Town in Tasmania and is currently owned by Australian Bauxite Limited.

[2] The majority of bauxite is found in the deposits in far north Queensland and the south west of Western Australia.