MINING COMMODITIES, 2001-02 TO 2006-07
Please note that this Data Cube is an addition to the publication Mining Operations, Australia, 2006-07, cat. no. 8415.0, released on 22 July 2008.
INTRODUCTION
This table presents information about mineral production in Australia based on data produced by the various state and Northern Territory government departments as part of their administrative responsibilities.
It presents these data in accordance with a framework developed by the ABS for categorising products of the mining industry. This framework has been devised in consultation with industry sources and major users of the data, with a view to standardising the data collected by the various jurisdictions.
Some general principles used in compiling the data in accordance with this framework, and aspects that apply individually to its four major categories, are set out below.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Having been collected under the authority of legislation other than the Census and Statistics Act, mineral commodity data are not subject to the usual confidentiality procedures of the ABS. State/territory authorities, however, may impose their own confidentiality restrictions on the data that the ABS uses for this purpose.
LEVEL OF DETAIL
Data are shown at the lowest level of detail at which data are comparable across jurisdictions. This ensures that, at a minimum, a national estimate can be produced at the highest level of classification. For some states/territories, data may be available at finer levels of detail than shown in this table. Please refer to the mines department in the relevant jurisdiction/s:
New South Wales: Department of Primary Industries, www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Northern Territory: Department of Regional Development, Primary Industry,
Fisheries and Resources; Minerals and Energy, www.nt.gov.au
Queensland: Department of Mines and Energy, www.dme.qld.gov.au
South Australia: Department of Primary Industries and Resources SA, www.pir.sa.gov.au
Tasmania: Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources,
Minerals Resources Tasmania, www.mrt.tas.gov.au
Victoria: Department of Primary Industries, www.dpi.vic.gov.au
Western Australia: Department of Industry and Resources, www.doir.wa.gov.au
COMPARABILITY
Readers should exercise caution when using mineral commodity data, as:
1. definitional requirements vary, as does the range of commodities upon which royalties are payable: the different jurisidictions do not necessarily apply common definitions and standards when compiling the statistics;
2. significant variations exist between jurisdictions in the way in which value of production is attributed, particularly for metallic minerals. ABS estimates based on applying a market price to the metallic content (recoverable metal) have been used where possible to obtain a valuation as close as possible to the concept of production;
3. the level of information available for construction materials and other non-metallic minerals varies considerably. Production and value of construction materials may be understated in several states, because royalties are not always collected and/or the activity occurs on private land.
Footnotes have been provided to clarify definitions, and highlight those areas where treatment or data availability vary across the states and Northern Territory. Any offshore production is attributed to the state or territory which controls that particular offshore area or administers it on behalf of the Australian Government. Data relating to the Joint Petroleum Development Area, in the Timor Sea, is included with that of the Northern Territory.
No data are recorded in this table for the Australian Capital Territory.
MAJOR CATEGORIES
Fuel minerals
Due to differences in quality between fuel mineral types and the unavailability of a suitable market price, the values provided by the State Mines Departments have generally been used.
Metallic minerals
The ABS's procedure in compiling these statistics from state and Northern Territory sources is based on measuring production in terms of recoverable metals in concentrates or ores where possible. This enables metal content to be valued at market price. By applying a market price the valuation is intended to approximate the concept of value of production, as it does not include freight or other related costs.
It is recognised that this method can overstate the value of production, in that it may include value adding which derives from the processing of the ores. Unfortunately the processing component cannot be isolated and removed, due to the information not being available. This method is, however, a feasible approach for more consistent estimates to be realised across the jurisdictions, compared to the previous basis on which these data were compiled.
Metallic content is the basis of presentation of data for antimony, cadmium, cobalt, copper, gold, lead, nickel, palladium, silver and tin. Bauxite, iron ore and uranium are presented as ores.
Industrial minerals and construction materials
The reported state/territory data is assumed to represent production data. As is the case for fuel minerals, an average market price cannot be used, due to varying grades produced across the states. It is also not possible to isolate any transport, insurance and other ex-mine costs, as the information is not available.
There are large differences among the jurisdictions in the level of detail for which data for construction materials are available.
Quality Declaration 
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