Western Australia is one of the most productive and diversified mineral and petroleum regions in the world.
In 2018-19, Western Australia had 116 high-value, export-oriented mining projects and hundreds of smaller quarries and mines, producing over 50 different commodities.
In 2019, Western Australia sold A$167.3 billion of mineral and petroleum products, mainly consisting of iron ore; liquefied natural gas; gold; condensate; alumina and bauxite; nickel; crude oil; natural gas; base metals (copper, lead and zinc); lithium; mineral sands (garnet, ilmenite, leucoxene, zircon and rutile); manganese and cobalt.
Western Australia is the main minerals and petroleum exporting region of Australia and produces a significant proportion of the world’s minerals and petroleum commodities.
Western Australian resource production in a global context: 2019
|
|
Unit
|
WA % of world
|
Western Australia
|
World
|
|
Iron ore
|
million tonnes |
32 |
810 |
2500 |
| Garnet |
'000 tonnes |
29 |
353 |
1200 |
| LNG |
million tonnes |
13 |
44 |
348 |
| Rare earths |
'000 tonnes |
12 |
26 |
210 |
| Zircon |
'000 tonnes |
12 |
171 |
1400 |
| Diamonds |
million carats |
11 |
16 |
147 |
| Alumina |
million tonnes |
11 |
14 |
132 |
| Gold |
tonnes |
6 |
219 |
3464 |
| Nickel |
'000 tonnes |
6 |
154 |
2700 |
| Ilmenite |
'000 tonnes |
5 |
359 |
7000 |
| Cobalt |
'000 tonnes |
4 |
6 |
140 |
| Salt |
million tonnes |
4 |
11 |
293 |
Source: Western Australia Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety , Resources Data Files.