The MCA welcomes the appointment of Australia’s first female Minister for Resources as part of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s first ministry and looks forward to working with Minister Madeleine King to ensure Australian mining remains internationally competitive to deliver for the nation in terms of exports, regional jobs and government revenue.
The strong representation of women in the front bench – the most ever – is a significant milestone for Australia.
Ensuring the sector remains internationally competitive will require sound policy across a range of portfolios and the MCA looks forward to working with the new Government and key portfolio ministers. These include Jim Chalmers – Treasurer, Madeleine King – Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia, Don Farrell – Minister for Trade and Tourism, Tony Burke – Leader of the House, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Arts, Chris Bowen – Minister for Climate Change and Minister for Energy, Tanya Plibersek – Minister for Environment and Water, Linda Burney – Minister for Indigenous Australians and Brendan O’Connor – Minister for Skills and Training.
A strong minerals sector is not only important for Australia’s post-COVID recovery, it will help to sustain and improve the lives of millions around the world, providing the critical raw materials necessary for modern and emerging economies to flourish in a decarbonised future.
Australian mining is a major and growing contributor to jobs, investment and communities and kept Australia’s economy and the communities in which it operates strong during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The industry pays the highest on average wages, the most company tax, delivers the most export revenue and is critical to supporting regions and communities, including providing 1.1 million jobs in the mining, mining equipment, technology and services sector.
Resources export revenue reached a new record high of $351 billion in 2021 and 68 per cent of total Australian export revenue. There was also a surge in mineral exploration activity in Australia in 2021 with exploration expenditure totalling $3.6 billion, up 28 per cent from the previous year. Australian mining pays the highest average wages ($144,000 a year, compared to $94,000 across all industries).
