MINERAL EXPLORATION
Ongoing exploration is necessary to establish new mines, to maintain a skilled labour force and to extend the productive life of capital equipment. Although the more mineralised regions of Tasmania (for example, the Queenstown-Zeehan-Rosebery area in western Tasmania) have been extensively explored on the surface, much of Tasmania remains relatively unexplored. By the end of 2003/04 major exploration programs were underway at the Henty, Beaconsfield, Rosebery and Mount Lyell mines (Source: Mineral Resources Tasmania, Annual Review 2003-2004).
Tasmanian mineral exploration expenditure in 2004-05 was $8.3m, a 10.7% increase from the previous year.
MINERAL EXPLORATION EXPENDITURE(a)
|
 | Tasmanian
expenditure | Australian
expenditure | Tas. as proportion
of Aust. expenditure |
 |  |  |  |
| Year | $m | $m | % |
|
| 2000-01 | 9.2 | 683.3 | 1.35 |
| 2001-02 | 4.0 | 640.6 | 0.62 |
| 2002-03 | 4.3 | 732.8 | 0.59 |
| 2003-04 | 7.5 | 793.4 | 0.95 |
| 2004-05 | 8.3 | 1,028.3 | 0.81 |
(a) Other than petroleum.
Source: Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia (cat. no. 8412.0). |
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION
At June 2004, seven offshore exploration permits and one onshore permit were held for oil and gas exploration, a production licence was held over the Yolla gas/condensate field in the Bass Basin, and a retention lease was held over a small acreage adjacent to the Yolla field. No hydrocarbons were produced in Tasmania or offshore waters, but gas production from the Yolla field was expected to commence in late September 2004, and from the Thylacine field in mid 2006 (Source: Mineral Resources Tasmania, Annual Review 2003-2004).
In the year 2004-05 $44.9m was spent on offshore petroleum exploration in Tasmanian waters. This was 4.3% of the total Australian expenditure over this time.
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION EXPENDITURE
|
 | Tasmanian
expenditure | Australian
expenditure | Tas. as proportion
of Aust. expenditure |
|  |  |  |
| Year | $m | $m | % |
|
| 2000-01 | np | 1024.7 | np |
| 2001-02 | np | 882.6 | np |
| 2002-03 | 3.5 | 995.0 | 0.35 |
| 2003-04 | 6.3 | 944.0 | 0.67 |
| 2004-05 | 44.9 | 1,044.7 | 0.81 |
np not available for publication but included in totals where applicable
Source: Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia (cat. no. 8412.0). |
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