Mining in Australia
Mining in Australia has long been a significant primary sector industry and contributor to the Australian economy by providing export income, royalty payments and employment.
Historically, mining booms have also encouraged population growth via immigration to Australia, particularly the gold rushes of the 1850s.
Australia is the 2nd largest coal exporter in the world (387 million tons in 2018) [20] Mining was an important early source of export income in Australian colonies and helped to pay for the imports needed for the growing colonial economies.
Silver and later copper were discovered in South Australia in the 1840s, leading to the export of ore and the immigration of skilled miners and smelters.
[22] After World War II the Bowen Basin was opened up fueling exports to Japan for its growing steel industry.
The influx of wealth that gold brought soon made Victoria Australia's richest colony by far, and Melbourne the continent's largest city.
[32] Although most Victorian goldfields were exhausted by the end of the 19th century, and although much of the profit was sent back to the UK, sufficient wealth remained to fund substantial development of industry and infrastructure.
Large quantities of minerals and resources :Much of the raw material mined in Australia is exported overseas to countries such as China for processing into refined products.
Based on 2008 CSIRO report, Australia estimated to have stranded gas reserves with about 140 trillion cubic feet or enough to fulfil the needs of a city with one million people for 2,800 years.
A number of large multinational mining companies including BHP, Newcrest, Rio Tinto, Alcoa, Chalco, Shenhua, Alcan and Xstrata operate in Australia.
There are also many small mining and mineral exploration companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).
Historically, the Victorian gold rush was the start of the economic growth of the country, leading to major increases in population.
Queenstown, Tasmania's mountains were also completely denuded through a combination of logging and pollution from a mine smelter, and remain bare today.
As of 2006, the increased world demand for uranium has seen some pressure, both internally and externally on the ALP, for a policy change.
[65] Australia is a participant in international anti-proliferation efforts designed to ensure that no exported uranium is used in nuclear weapons.
The controversy regarding the MRRT was such that an "ad war" between the government and mining interests began in May 2010[67] and continued until the downfall of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in June 2010.
[68] The Australian Electoral Commission released figures indicating mining interests had spent $22 m in campaigning and advertisements in the six weeks prior to the end of the Rudd prime ministership.
[69] Mining interests re-introduced the advertisements arguing against the proposed revised changes during the 2010 federal election campaign.
A January 2014 poll conducted by UMR Research, however, found that a majority of Australians still think that multinational mining companies do not pay enough tax.
[71][72] In the 2017 Western Australian state election The Western Australian National Party led by Brendon Grylls, who retook the leadership in August 2016, ran on a policy to tax BHP and Rio Tinto $5 for every tonne of iron ore mined (as opposed to $0.25 currently[timeframe?
On 12 December 1882, 29 miners became trapped underground by water that broke through from the adjacent flooded No.1 Gold Mine workings.
[78][79] In 1902 a gas explosion in the Mount Kembla Colliery in the Illawarra region of New South Wales resulted in the deaths of 96 men and boys, either while at work or in the course of trying to rescue others.
A service of commemoration is held annually on 31 July at the Mount Kembla Soldiers' and Miners' Memorial Church.
12 coal miners lost their lives in this disaster that sparked controversy after experts claimed the accident was avoidable.
[84] A royal commission was set up to investigate the explosion and concluded: ..that the explosion was caused by marsh gas or carburetted hydrogen gas [methane] that had accumulated at the face ... That the immediate cause was probably the flame from an overcharged shot that had apparently been fired fired by [a miner] in the coal in No.
[85][86] At the Box Flat Mine in Swanbank, South East Queensland, 17 miners were lost after an underground gas explosion occurred on 31 July 1972.
