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- Western Australia’s resource sector achieves record sales of $230 billion in 2021, playing a critical role in the nations economy through the COVID-19 pandemic
- Based on the latest data from Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, resources sales for 2021 were up 30 per cent, or $53 billion, from 2020
- Over the period, iron ore sales surged to $157 billion, Gold hit more $16 billion in sales and lithium soared to an all time high of $2.6 billion
- More than $22 billion was invested across the sector, a five year high, and around $156 billion of resources projects are in the pipeline
Western Australia’s resource sector has achieved record sales in 2021, hitting $230 billion.
The state’s mining sector has played a critical role in carrying the nations economy through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the latest data from Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, resources sales for 2021 were up 30 per cent, or $53 billion, from 2020.
Employment in the industry continued its strong performance with a record average of 156,238 jobs, a 10.8 per cent increase compared to the prior year.
This strong performance has seen a rise in WA’s goods export, which saw a record 52.3 per cent share of the value of national goods exports in 2021.
Over the period, iron ore sales surged to an unprecedented $157 billion given high prices and supply interruptions in competing markets.
Gold saw more than $16 billion in sales, while lithium soared to an all-time high of $2.6 billion – a threefold increase. Nickel has also seen the highest value since 2012 with $3.7 billion in sales.
The petroleum sector has also seen a rise in sales to $39 billion, up from $27 billion in the prior year.
More than $22 billion was invested across the sector, a five year high, and around $156 billion of resources projects are in the pipeline.
“Western Australia has carried the nation through the pandemic. The State’s COVID-19 management has kept the economy open and strong – with record jobs and sales for our resources sector during 2021,” Premier Mark McGowan said.
“All States and the Commonwealth have benefited from WA’s performance with respect to COVID-19 and the economy – with a surge in revenue to the nation when it needed it most.”
“Western Australia’s resources industry continued to deliver impressive results across key sectors and commodities, despite facing a challenging year,” Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston said.
“WA’s remarkable range of critical and battery minerals, including lithium and nickel, will play a big part in our future success as the world transitions to clean energy.”
