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Australia: Mineral Resources
Australia has a robust and world-leading mining industry evidenced by a top five position as a producer for some 20 commodities including gold, aluminium, iron ore, rare earths, mineral sands, zinc, lead and coal. In the 2016‑17 financial year, mining accounted for 7.4% of gross domestic product.
In addition, the mining industry employed more than 230,000 people in 2016, with many more employed by related industries.
Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2017 presents estimates of Australia’s mineral reserves and resources as at 31 December 2016. The data in the national minerals inventory is mainly sourced from published company reports, but includes some confidential and historical data.
The highest category in the national inventory is Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR) which, in essence, combines the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Code categories of Proved and Probable Ore Reserves and most of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources.
Mine production data are based on figures from the Office of the Chief Economist at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science. World rankings of Australia’s mineral resources have been calculated mainly using information published by the United States Geological Survey.
Geoscience Australia and its predecessors have prepared the annual assessment of Australia's mineral resources since 1975. Thus, this publication is able to draw on 40 years of data to reveal trends in reserve estimates,& resource estimates and mine production over both short and long periods of time.
Australia’s EDR increased for black coal, cobalt, gold, ilmenite, lithium, molybdenum, potash, rutile, tantalum, tin, vanadium and zircon. The strongest gains in EDR were mineral sands (11%), lithium (70%), potash (73%), cobalt (13%), tantalum (9%) and tin (12%) as improved markets for these commodities, particularly for those associated with battery technology, has stimulated exploration and resource delineation.
EDR for brown coal, chromium, copper, fluorine, lead, magnesite, nickel, niobium, oil shale, PGEs, phosphate, rare earths, thorium and zinc remained at levels similar to those previously reported.
Australia's EDR decreased for antimony, bauxite, diamond, iron ore, manganese ore, tungsten and uranium. The most significant fall in EDR was diamond (-45%) as the Argyle mine in Western Australia winds down.
Australia’s EDR of gold, iron ore, lead, nickel, rutile, tantalum, uranium, zinc and zircon are the world’s largest.
Australia’s EDR of antimony, bauxite, black coal, brown coal, cobalt, copper, diamond, ilmenite, lithium, magnesite, manganese ore, niobium, silver, thorium, tin, tungsten and vanadium all rank in the top five worldwide.
Australia is also the top global producer for bauxite, iron ore, rutile and zircon.
Australia is the second largest producer of gold, lead, rare earths and diamonds, the third largest producer of ilmenite, uranium and zinc, the fourth largest producer of antimony, black coal and manganese ore and fifth for brown coal, cobalt, copper, nickel and silver.
Australia had a large number of mines producing gold (130), black coal (93), copper (34), iron ore (29) and silver (22).
Australia had few operating mines producing nickel (13), zinc (13), lead (13), zircon (8), ilmenite (7), rutile (7), bauxite (6), uranium (3), manganese ore (1) and diamond (1).
Using 2016 rates of production at operating mines, Australia’s Measured and Indicated Resources of bauxite, black coal, copper, lead, manganese ore, silver, uranium and zinc could potentially last more than 40 years.
Using 2016 rates of production at operating mines, Australia’s Measured and Indicated Resources could have a life of 18 to 33 years for mineral sands, 32 years for nickel, 22 years for gold, 19 years for iron ore, but only 8 years for diamond.
At 2016 rates of production, operating gold mines have enough Measured and Indicated Resources to last an average of 22 years. However, operating lode-gold deposits, which provide most of the gold production, have an average resource life of 8 years.
The main mineral export earners in 2016 were iron ore (36% of $151 billion), black coal (26%), gold (12%), copper (5%), alumina (4%), aluminium (2%), nickel and zinc (both 1.5%). These same minerals were the main income earners in 2015 but only iron ore and gold earned greater income in 2016 than in 2015. Iron ore export income improved by 10% and gold by 28%.
The price of most commodities has generally decreased since peak prices in 2011. The exception is gold which, in Australian dollars, has remained high resulting in strong production and export income.
Lower iron ore prices have been offset by increased production, resulting in increased export income in 2016 and reversing the decline of recent years.
Mineral production
Globally, Australia has a comparative advantage in the production of mineral commodities. This stems from a rich and diverse mineral endowment; high-quality, regional-scale geoscience information that lowers the risks of exploration; advanced technologies for exploration, mining and processing; a skilled work force; generally benign physical conditions; and low population density. These factors mean that modern mining can be undertaken in line with increasing community expectations for environmental and social performance.
World economic growth in recent years, particularly in China and India, has increased demand for mineral products worldwide. Australia is the world's leading producer of bauxite, iron ore, lithium, rutile and zircon and a top five producer for alumina, antimony, black coal, brown coal, cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, ilmenite, lead, manganese ore, nickel, rare earths, silver, uranium and zinc.
Even though Australia has large economic resources of many mineral commodities, this is not a guarantee that such resources will continue to be exploited in Australia. In an increasingly globalized and competitive commodity market, multinational mining companies continue to search for mineral deposits that will offer attractive returns on investment.
Such returns are influenced by the quality of the resources (grade, tonnage, metallurgical properties) as well as environmental, social and political factors, land access and the location and scale of competing projects. Increasingly, minerals projects are being ranked by multinational companies against investment returns from other projects worldwide, particularly during periods of global financial stress.
Regulation of the Australian mining industry is the responsibility of state and territory government agencies. These agencies administer a range of mining, health and safety regulations and legislation relevant to the mining industry. State government mines departments are responsible for granting exploration and mining tenements and for collecting mining royalty payments from the companies.
Mineral exports
Mineral exports account for around half the annual value of total exports of goods and services in recent years. The value of Australian mineral exports (excluding oil and gas) has increased fourfold from $42.5 billion in 2000‑01 to $173.6 billion in 2016‑17, dominated by iron ore, coal, gold, copper and alumina/aluminum. The major increase in the overall value of mineral exports in this period reflects increases in both production and commodity prices.
Impacts of improved technologies
In recent decades, improvements in mining techniques (including large-scale mining equipment and automation) have reduced mining costs and allowed economic extraction of deposits that were previously uneconomic. New metallurgical techniques and breakthroughs, such as carbon-based leaching technologies for gold deposits, have improved the rate of recovery for certain metals and minerals or enhanced the economic viability of other deposits (such as lateritic nickel) resulting in major increases in these economic resources.
Maintaining the economic impact of Australia's mineral industry
AIMR shows that there have been very few world-class discoveries in Australia in the past two decades and that the inventory has been sustained largely through delineation of additional resources in known mineral fields. Most of Australia's current mineral production and exports are sourced from deposits discovered during exploration more than two decades ago.
Sustaining the strength of the minerals sector is dependent on:
Increasing mine production to maintain world market share for major mineral commodities.
Discovering a new generation of large low-cost mineral deposits to sustain the resource base.
To ensure our diverse and plentiful mineral resources continue to be explored, the Australian Government has given Geoscience Australia $100.5 million to lead Exploring for the Future, a four-year program that aims to boost Australia's attractiveness as a destination for investment in resource exploration.
Geoscience Australia's leading researchers are using innovative techniques to gather new data and information, on an unprecedented scale, about the potential mineral, energy and groundwater resources in some of Australia's most underexplored areas.
Australia: Culture, Customs and Etiquette
You may be going to Australia on business, for a visit or even hosting Australian colleagues or clients in your own country.
Remember this is only a very basic level introduction and is not meant to stereotype all Aussie people you may meet
- Facts and Statistics
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific OceanCapital: Canberra
Climate: Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Population: 22,507,617 (July 2014 est.)
Ethnic Make-up: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Religions: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11%, other 12.6%
Government: democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign
Languages in Australia
English is the primary language used in Australia. Yet their colourful vocabulary, accent, phonetics system and slang ('Strine') can take a lot of getting used to.In 1788, there were about 250 separate Aboriginal languages spoken in Australia, plus dialects. Today, only two thirds of these languages survive and only 20 of them (eight per cent of the original 250) are still strong enough to have chance of surviving well into the next century.
In addition to these there are also the languages of immigrants from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Australian Society & Culture
Aussie Modesty- Australians are very down to earth and always mindful of not giving the impression that they think they are better than anyone else.
- They value authenticity, sincerity, and loathe pretentiousness.
- Australians prefer people who are modest, humble, self- deprecating and with a sense of humour.
- They do not draw attention to their academic or other achievements and tend to distrust people who do.
- They often downplay their own success, which may make them appear not to be achievement-oriented.
Mates
- Australians place a high value on relationships.
- With a relatively small population, it is important to get along with everyone, since you never know when your paths may cross again.
- This leads to a win-win negotiating style, since having everyone come away with positive feelings helps facilitate future business dealings.
A Multi-Cultural Society
- The initial population of Australia was made up of Aborigines and people of British and Irish descent.
- After World War II there was heavy migration from Europe, especially from Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Lebanon, and Turkey.
- This was in response to the Australian policy of proactively trying to attract immigrants to boost the population and work force.
- In the last thirty years, Australia has liberalized its immigration policy and opened its borders to South East Asia.
- This has caused a real shift in self-perception as Aussies begin to re-define themselves as a multi-cultural and multi-faith society rather than the old homogenous, white, Anglo- Saxon, Protestant nation.
Australian Etiquette & Customs
Meeting Etiquette
- Australians are not very formal so greetings are casual and relaxed.
- A handshake and smile suffices.
- While an Australian may say, 'G'day' or 'G'day, mate', this may sound patronizing from a foreigner.
- Visitors should simply say, 'Hello' or 'Hello, how are you?'
- Aussies prefer to use first names, even at the initial meeting
Gift Giving Etiquette
- Small gifts are commonly exchanged with family members, close friends, and neighbors on birthdays and Christmas.
- Trades people such as sanitation workers may be given a small amount of cash, or more likely, a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer!
- If invited to someone's home for dinner, it is polite to bring a box of chocolates or flowers to the hostess. A good quality bottle of wine is always appreciated.
- Gifts are opened when received.
Dining Etiquette
- Many invitations to an Aussies home will be for a 'barbie' (BBQ).
- Guests to a barbeque typically bring wine or beer for their personal consumption. In some cases, very informal barbecues may suggest that you bring your own meat!
- Arrive on time if invited to dinner; no more than 15 minutes late if invited to a barbeque or a large party.
- Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish.
- Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served.
Watch your table manners!
- Table manners are Continental -- hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
- Indicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel on your plate with the handles facing to the right.
- Keep your elbows off the table and your hands above the table when eating.
Business Etiquette and Customs in Australia
Relationships & Communication
- Australians are very matter of fact when it comes to business so does not need long- standing personal relationships before they do business with people.
- Australians are very direct in the way they communicate.
- There is often an element of humor, often self-deprecating, in their speech.
- Aussies often use colourful language that would be unthinkable in other countries.
Business Meeting Etiquette
- Appointments are necessary and relatively easy to schedule.
- They should be made with as much lead time as possible.
- Punctuality is important in business situations. It is better to arrive a few minutes early than to keep someone waiting.
- Meetings are generally relaxed; however, they are serious events.
- If an Australian takes exception to something that you say, they will tell you so.
- If you make a presentation, avoid hype, making exaggerated claims, or bells and whistles.
- Present your business case with facts and figures. Emotions and feelings are not important in the Australian business climate.
Negotiating and Decision Making
- Australians get down to business quickly with a minimum amount of small talk.
- They are quite direct and expect the same in return. They appreciate brevity and are not impressed by too much detail.
- Negotiations proceed quickly. Bargaining is not customary. They will expect your initial proposal to have only a small margin for negotiation.
- They do not like high-pressure techniques.
- Decision-making is concentrated at the top of the company, although decisions are made after consultation with subordinates, which can make decision making slow and protracted.
What to wear?
- Business dress is conservative in Melbourne and Sydney.
- Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit.
- Women should wear a smart dress or a business suit.
- In Brisbane or other tropical areas, depending on the job function and company culture, men may wear shirts, ties and Bermuda shorts.
Business Cards
- Business cards are exchanged at the initial introduction without formal ritual.
- If you are not given a business card, it is not an insult; the person simply may not have one.
What other customs and etiquette would you like to share in our comment section?
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10 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO AUSTRALIA
If you are one of the lucky travelers heading to Australia, here are some travel tips you need to know before you go.
Unless you are planning to spend 6 months traveling around the country, you are not going to see it all. It may look small, but looks are deceiving. Consider this:
Australia is the 6th largest country in the world, occupying a territory of 7 692 024 sq. km, which is more than the size of ALL European Union countries. Yet it has one of the lowest population density in the world of only 2.6 people/km
A flight from East Coast (Brisbane) to the West Coast (Perth) will take you 5 .5 hours. If you were even considering a road trip across, you may want to reconsider. The majority of the Australia population lives along the coast, so unless you are road tripping along the East Coast, prepare to be traveling for days on end without any interesting sites or towns to check out along the way. It’s a whole lot of nothingness out there.
A road trip from Cairns to Brisbane is practically impossible in less than 3 days. And even then it’s really rushed. Same goes for road-tripping from Brisbane to Sydney.
It will take you over 9 hours to drive from Sydney to Melbourne.
So when planning a trip to Australia, give yourself lots of time to explore the country. If you want to city hop, flying is your only option. If you want to check out off the beaten path towns – give yourself at least a month or two to explore. If you plan with the mindset of more time in fewer places, you’ll definitely enjoy it more!
Budget at least $100-$200 USD per day for accommodation, food, and activities. Transportation will probably be on top of that. If you are looking for ways to save on your trip to Australia, consider the following suggestions.
*Fly with budget airlines, like Tiger Airways and Jetstar, instead of the full-service Qantas and Virgin. Unlike in the US, one-way flights in Australia aren’t more expensive when compared to return flights, so don’t be afraid to book one leg at a time. Webjet.com.au is the best place to search for domestic flights in Australia.
*Travel overland. Buy a Greyhound hop on/hop off bus pass instead of individual tickets to get from city to city. If you want the luxury of traveling on your own time without spending a fortune on renting a car, consider renting a relocation campervan and secure your accommodation and transportation for just $1/day plus gas!
*Accommodation in Australia can be expensive. If you are traveling as a couple, or with friends, consider staying in Airbnb accommodation or opt for the smaller family run B&B’s.
*Cook your own food. There are lots of great restaurants in Australia, but this isn’t Vietnam or India where local food is incredible and cheap. There is no reason to eat out every meal. Go to a local grocery chain like Coles or Woolworths, stock up on some sausages and bread and have a sausage sizzle in the park. There are free public BBQs available in most parks all over Australia. You don’t even need your own kitchen and you’ll see plenty of Australians doing the exact same thing! Thumbs up for local experiences.
*Drink less. And when you do drink opt to pre-drink before you head out to a bar, or drink at BYO (bring you own alcohol) restaurants. Drinking at bars in Australia is expensive and will end up killing your budget. If budget is really tight, goon (boxed wine) is your best friend.
There are actually quite a few slangs and differences in Australia English vs American English. Here are just a few examples that you will likely come across on your trip.
(Australia English = American English) : Thongs = flip flops, bum bag – fanny pack, togs/swimmers – bathing suit, capsicums = peppers, ketchup = tomato sauce, chips = fries, lollies = candy, bushwalking = hiking/trekking, boot = trunk, bonnet = hood of a car, gas = petrol, ute =pick up truck, fortnightly = every 2 weeks.
If you are out watching a sport with some new “mates”, don’t ask them who they are rooting for. Rooting means having sex, not cheering. If you want to find the center of the city, don’t ask for directions downtown, here they call it CBD (Central Business District). If you get sick and needs some meds, ask for the nearest chemist, not a pharmacy. If someone invites you to come over for tea, it often means you are being invited for dinner.
A lot of other words are shortened, like arvo – afternoon, not to be confused with avo = avocado, barbie = bbq, bickies = biscuits or cookies, breaky = breakfast and so on. Your name will most likely also be shortened to something that ends in “y”/”ie” or “z”. (Stevie, Robbie, Marky, Caz, Loz, etc).
It is possible to spot them in the wild, but you’d have to venture out to a national park/reserve or further inland, away from the city buzz, to find them. Sometime you may even spot them in the suburbs or on a golf course. One of the best places to see wildlife in Australia is Kangaroo Island just south of Adelaide.
While kangaroos and koalas aren’t common in highly populated areas, other Australian residents are. You will likely see a lot of bats, possums, some snakes, lizards, plenty of spiders and other bugs. There are also plenty of cool birds around. I live just outside the city center and I see cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets on my patio on a weekly basis.
Tipping in Australia is not common practice. You are not expected to tip in restaurants, bars, or taxis. You don’t need to add a tip to your haircut bill or give any money to staff in hotels.
All workers in Australia are paid significantly better than elsewhere in the world, think $16.87 an hour as an absolute minimum, so the busboys and bartenders here aren’t relying on them to make a decent living. Of course, if you really want to acknowledge excellent service, especially if you are dining at a high-end restaurant, you can leave a tip. But if you are out for the night, and leave a few coins behind as a tip at a bar, it’s likely that someone will tell you that you’ve forgotten your change.
We don’t want to sound like your parents telling you to cover up or don’t spend too much time in the sun, but don’t! The sun is really strong here, so stock up on sunblock and respect the fact that you may get burned a LOT faster than you would back home, or anywhere else in the world. No, it’s not because the sun here is “different”. It’s the same sun, but for one environmental reason or another, it has much stronger effect on the skin here.
South Eastern Queensland has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world! Just 30 mins in the Australian sun is enough to burn you to the crisp. Trust us, we speak from experience.
So balance your time in the sun with time in the shade, wear sunscreen, cover up, and don’t forget to stay hydrated to avoid heat stroke. And no, hydrating yourself with beer/cider/goon isn’t good enough.
Australian summer (December to March) isn’t always lovely like the summers are in North America and Europe. It’s hot, like really hot. In some parts of the country, it rains a lot. In 2010 there was so much rain on the East Coast that the whole city of Brisbane flooded. While in other parts it gets so dry, there is news about bush-fires on the news on a daily basis.
If you are flexible, plan to visit Australia during the shoulder season – which is October/November or April/May. It’s still really warm and sunny but there is a lot less rain and unbearable humidity/heat. And if you must come during the high season – pack an umbrella or a rain jacket.
At the same time, don’t assume that Australia is hot all year around. The northern parts of the country, like Darwin and Cairns, are actually fairly warm all year around, but temperatures in other parts of Australia a can go down to -5 °C or lower. Sometimes, it ever snows! Eeeeek!
When choosing drinks for the night, go local. Australia has a ton of great local brands and plenty of micro-breweries that are worth trying while you are here. Just please don’t ask for a pint of Fosters. If you want to go mainstream, try XXXX Gold, Coopers, Hahn, or James Squire instead.
Cider is also really popular with Australians.
9. LEARN TO BE OK WITH BEING OFFLINE
Internet is Australia is slow and expensive. Wifi may be available in hotels and some cafes throughout your travels, but more likely than not, the connection will be terrible. Libraries and Mcdonalds do have free wi-fi, so if you are desperate to get online, go there.
One of the best ways to stay connected on the road is to unlock your mobile phone before you leave home and pick up a Telstra Pay As You Go Sim card. Telstra has the best coverage across the country, so you’ll be able to stay connected even in the remote areas. It’ll set you back by $30-50/month, depending on how much data you want to have, but it might be well worth it in the end.
If unlocking your phone is not an option, we recommend investing in a Wifi Hotspot device, like Skyroam that gives you unlimited wifi for just $8/day. And the best part is that you can use it across multiple devices, so the whole family can stay connected at once!
10. YOU WILL PROBABLY REALLY LIKE IT HERE
No actually, you will LOVE it here! You will see the most amazing sunsets, trek through lush green rain forests, swim in the most crystal clear waters and sunbathe on the most beautiful beaches. You’ll meet great people, hear great stories, and go on amazing adventures. You might even jump out of an airplane, learn how to dive, learn how to surf or fall in love with sailing. You’ll see all the amazing things Australia has to offer and be devastated when you have to say goodbye and board your plane back home.
So why not scrap your idea of a holiday in Australia and consider a temporary move here? It’s a lot easier than you think!
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