The importance of Tasmania’s minerals sector

New figures demonstrate the importance of Tasmania’s minerals sector to small and medium sized
businesses.

In the 2010/11 financial year, the mines and mineral processors spent more than $800 million
buying goods and services from small and medium sized business within Tasmania.

That’s an increase of about $50 million from the previous year, as the industry clawed its way back
from the Global Financial Crisis.

The money went to 516 small or medium sized businesses in the supply chain, much of it
underpinning regional communities.

The mines and mineral processors spent more than $160 million on capital projects, which have a
big draw on goods and services from smaller businesses. The capital spending is forecast to rise by
more than 150 per cent in the current financial year.

The executive director of the Tasmanian Minerals Council, Terry Long, said today it is wrong to
believe that regional communities, particularly in the north‐west, can go without that cash flow if
the mining industry is driven out of the area.

“There is no credible immediate alternative to that sort of revenue generation, “he said.

The biennial survey was undertaken on behalf of the Minerals Council by Metaira Pty Ltd at Burnie.

It aggregates data from individual companies to paint a broader industry economic picture.
Executive Director of the Tasmanian Minerals Council, Terry Long