MINERAL AND PETROLEUM EXPLORATION
- In seasonally adjusted terms, total expenditure on minerals exploration fell by 3.6% in the June quarter 2009, following a much larger decrease (18%) in the previous quarter.
- This was the fourth consecutive quarterly decrease, making exploration expenditure 28% lower than in the same quarter of the previous year, and the lowest figure ($267 million) since June 2007.
- In original terms, expenditure on iron ore exploration rose by 35%, to almost $135 million, in the June quarter 2009.This equates to almost half of the total minerals exploration expenditure in Western Australia.
- Expenditure on gold exploration was $62.5 million, up by 10% from the previous quarter.
- Total expenditure on petroleum exploration was $817 million, in original terms, in the June quarter 2009. This was 3.5% higher than for the previous quarter and 32.5% higher than for the June quarter 2008.
1 Mineral and petroleum exploration expenditure(a), by selected mineral: original |
|
 | | Copper | Silver,
lead,
zinc | Nickel,
cobalt | Gold | Iron
ore | Total
minerals(b) | Total
petroleum |
| | $m | $m | $m | $m | $m | $m | $m |
|
| 2008 | | | | | | | |
| June | 10.3 | 10.5 | 81.0 | 100.3 | 139.3 | 381.2 | 616.9 |
| 2009 | | | | | | | |
| March | 4.4 | 3.0 | 39.4 | 56.6 | 100.1 | 224.2 | 789.4 |
| June | 3.3 | 2.0 | 43.3 | 62.5 | 134.8 | 274.8 | 817.4 |
|
| (a) Includes expenditure on Western Australia leases in the Zone of Cooperation Area B. From July 2000 value data do not contain Wholesale Sales Tax. |
| (b) Includes minerals not listed in the table. |
| Source: Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia, cat. no. 8412.0. |
|
To view Excel spreadsheet:
Mineral and Petroleum Expenditure
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