June 11, 2020
According to figures from the South Australian Chamber of Mining and Energy, royalties paid to the State Government are projected to reach $325m for the 2019/20 financial year, up from $299m the previous financial year and $207m in 2015/16. Jobs in the sector in SA have also grown to reach 27,200 direct and non-direct employees this year and have been boosted in recent times by more than 1,000 direct construction and production jobs at Oz Minerals’ new Carrapateena copper/gold mine, 160km north of Port Augusta. While global commodity prices, which are calculated in US dollars, have dipped in the past few months, this has been largely offset locally by a slump in the value of the Australian dollar to some of the lowest levels in almost two decades. A global survey of 2,400 explorers, developers and other mining-related companies was released in February and listed SA as the sixth-most attractive jurisdiction in the world for mining investment, up from 24th in 2018. The Fraser…