PERTH (miningweekly.com) – New data released from the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has revealed that not only has the resources sector continued to contribute to the Australian economy, despite the decline in commodity prices and the so-called end of the mining boom, it has also remained committed to rehabilitating previously mined land.

In latest ‘The Whole Story’ publication, the MCA noted that in 2014/15, mining export earnings reached A$172-million, some 56% of the country’s total exports of goods and services, with five of the country’s ten largest exports being mining output.

The projected income from mineral exports was expected to rise to A$256-billion in 2019/20, with iron-ore alone expected to contribute A$600-billion to the Australian economy over the next decade.

In comparison, only 0.021% of the country’s land mass has been dedicated to mining, with the industry accounting for only 3% of the country’s total water use.

“The figures demonstrate that while the heady days of the mining boom have come to a close, the result is a much expanded industry,” said MCA CEO Brendan Pearson.

“Australia’s mining industry has a healthy future and continues to be a key driver of Australia’s economic wealth and helping improve the standard of living for all Australians.”

In its second publication, titled ‘Mine Rehabilitation in the Australian Minerals Industry’, the MCA pointed out that the industry did not consider rehabilitation as something that began at the end of the project, but rather a process that begins at the start of mine project planning.

“Responsible environmental management over the life of a mining operation is essential for successful rehabilitation. Companies are careful to avoid disturbing land unnecessarily and to minimise the footprint of operations,” the report read.
“This reduces the scale and complexity of rehabilitation requirements, and lowers the cost to companies. Furthermore, rehabilitation is undertaken not only at the end of a mine’s life, but progressively during the mining process. This enables companies to meet rehabilitation obligations and minimise risk over the life of the operation.”

The publication featured eight case studies, which showed the success of Australian mining companies in rehabilitating mined land for agricultural use or sustainable ecosystems, and included Coal and Allied’s rehabilitation of alluvial lands in the Hunter Valley, the Commodore coal mine rehabilitation programme and BHP Billiton’s rehabilitation project in the Pilbara.