INVESTMENT

PRIVATE NEW CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
Between the September 2007 and the December 2007 quarters, the South Australian chain volume (trend) estimate of private new capital expenditure decreased by 2.5% to $1,178m. Expenditure on Equipment, plant and machinery decreased by $35m (or 5.3%) to $620m, while expenditure on Buildings and structures increased by $5m (or 0.9%) to $558m. For the same period, private new capital expenditure for Australia increased by 0.3% to $20,453m. Expenditure on Buildings and structures decreased 1.2%, while Equipment, plant and machinery expenditure increased 1.3% over this period.

Comparing the December 2007 quarter with the December 2006 quarter, South Australia's total private new capital expenditure decreased by 0.5%. Expenditure on Equipment, plant and machinery decreased by 15.3% while expenditure on Buildings and structures increased by 23.7% over this period.



MINERAL AND PETROLEUM EXPLORATION EXPENDITURE
The value in original terms of mineral exploration expenditure in South Australia in the December 2007 quarter was $93.5m, up 7.2% from the September 2007 quarter. From December 2006 to December 2007, the value of mineral exploration expenditure in South Australia increased 58.2% from $59.1m to $93.5m. Over the same period, Australian expenditure on mineral exploration increased 39.6% from $448.2m in December 2006 to $625.9m in December 2007.

Of the $93.5m mineral exploration expenditure in South Australia in the December 2007 quarter, $37.3m was for uranium exploration, $25.5m for copper and $16.4m was for gold.

The December 2007 quarter expenditure on petroleum exploration in South Australia ($72.5m) was 67.1% higher than in December 2006 quarter ($43.4m). Nationally, expenditure on petroleum exploration increased from $544.5m in the December 2006 quarter to $770.0m in the December 2007 quarter (an increase of 41.4%). In the December 2007 quarter, 66.6% of all petroleum exploration expenditure in Australia was in Western Australia.