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NAME OF COLLECTION
Minerals Industry Survey

Contact
Assistant Director - Economics
Minerals Council of Australia
PO Box 363
DICKSON ACT 2602

Telephone: Canberra 02 6279 3600
Facsimile: Canberra 02 6279 3699
Email: info@minerals.org.au
Web site: <http://www.minerals.org.au>

Purpose
The Minerals Industry Survey collects information about the financial performance of the minerals industry. In addition, information on overseas exploration, taxation payments, production, rehabilitation expenditure, employment, labour costs, and price movements is provided.

Description
The collection is conducted on behalf of the Council by an independent consultant with expertise in accounting and economic surveys. Data from each company conform to the same basic conceptual standards allowing presentation of an aggregate balance sheet and aggregate profit and loss statement. A 10-year historical summary of data is also provided.

Of the 120 companies included in the survey, the top 30 are completely enumerated and the remainder are sampled. The data are collected via mail-based and internet-based questionnaires.

Additional information included in the survey covers profitability, cash flows, borrowings and various rates of return ratios.

The coverage of the survey related to the year ended 30 June 2001 accounted for:

• all Australian alumina, bauxite, diamond, lead, nickel, tin, uranium and zinc production and over 90% of ilmenite, iron ore and rutile production; and
• around 80% of silver and zircon production, over 70% of copper, black coal and gold production and around 50% of aluminium production.

Main data detail

• production;
• aggregate balance sheet;
• aggregate profit and loss statement;
• profitability;
• cash flows;
• borrowings;
• distribution of assets by activity;
• government and taxation;
• rehabilitation expenditure;
• employment and labour costs;
• overseas exploration; and
• outlook for the year ahead.

Frequency of data availability
Annual.

Reference period
Year ended 30 June.

Historical data
Data are available from 1977-78 for financial data and from 1994-95 for overseas exploration expenditure. Data going back to 1987-88 for a constant group of major Australian overseas explorers are also available.

Products and services
Publication

• Minerals Industry Survey Report (available in hard copy form from the Council or from the Council's web site).

		2000-01	1999-2000	1998-99
		$m	$m	$m
Operating revenue		36,080	30,482	30,383
Total assets at year end		61,815	57,410	56,823
Borrowings at year end		15,925	15,081	15,006
Interest expense		2,613	1,644	1,249
Direct taxes		2,783	1,903	1,547
Operating profit before abnormal items		6,243	3,891	3,666
Net profit		4,010	1,121	1,057
Net capital expenditure (investment) on mining, smelting and refining assets		3,604	4,885	6,716
	Mining fixed assets	1,525	3,790	4,535
	Smelting and refining assets	2,079	1,095	2,181
Direct employees at year end		50,944	52,053	56,459
Contractors considered a substitute for full time employees		16,069	17,633	16,556
Total employment		67,013	69,686	73,015
Rates of return		%	%	%
Operating profit before abnormals return on Average shareholders' funds		21.7	13.8	12.8
Net profit return on average shareholders' funds		13.9	4.0	3.7
Net profit return on average assets employed		6.2	2.0	1.9
Gross debt to equity ratio		0.55	0.52	0.54
		2001-02 forecast	2000-01 actual	forecast change
Forecasts		$m	$m	%
Net expenditure on mining assets		3,722	1,525	144.1
Net expenditure on smelting and refining assets		937	2,079	-54.9
Total net expenditure on mining, smelting and refining assets		4,660	3,604	29.3
Direct employees at year end		47,350	50,944	-7.1