PERTH (miningweekly.com) - Western Australia has maintained its position as Australia’s leading exporter in 2015/16, accounting for some 35.2%, or A$109.9-billion, of the country’s total exports.

A new report by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade indicated that iron-ore and concentrates remained the state’s biggest exports, accounting for some A$47.2-billion in exports during the period, while coal was the biggest earner for both Queensland and New South Wales, at A$16.6-billion and A$11.5-billion respectively.

New South Wales contributed 22.8% of Australia’s total exports, or some A$71.1-billion, while Queensland accounted for a further 20.1%, or A$62.6-billion. Victoria delivered A$42.8-billion to the nation’s bottom-line during 2015/16, while the Northern Territory delivered A$5.9-billion and Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory the balance.

Besides iron-ore and concentrates, gold and crude petroleum accounted for the largest share of Western Australia’s exports, at A$15.6-billion and A$3.5-billion respectively, while copper and precious metals delivered a further A$1.4-billion and A$1.3-billion in export earnings.

In New South Wales, copper exports also delivered A$2.2-billion in export earnings, while aluminium and refined petroleum delivered A$1.5-billion and A$1.9-billion respectively.

For Queensland, copper was the third-largest contributor to exports, at just over A$2-billion, while aluminium delivered a further A$1-billion in export earnings. In South Australia, copper accounted for A$1.3-billion of exports and lead for a further A$471-million.

Zinc in Tasmania accounted for A$757-million in exports, while aluminium and iron-ore made up A$422-million and A$187-million respectively. In the Northern Territory, aluminium accounted for A$361-million of exports, while crude petroleum added a further A$317-million.

China was the largest trading partner for all states, while Japan was the largest trading partner for the Northern Territory. Switzerland, which imports Australian-made gold coin and legal tender, was the Australian Capital Territory's largest trading partner in 2015/16.

New South Wales was Australia's leading destination for imports, accounting for 40% of Australia's total imports, valued at A$139.6-billion, followed by Victoria, Queensland, and Western Australia.