JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Western Australian Mines and Petroleum Minister Sean L’Estrange has vowed to support gold mines, pointing to the significant contribution that the industry makes to the Australian economy.

“Western Australia produces 6% of the world’s total gold production and I think a lot of people in Australia wouldn’t realise the significance of that contribution to our economy,” he said at the inaugural Gold Industry Group networking event in Perth on Thursday night.

L’Estrange, who took up the reins as Minister in March this year, said in a speech delivered at the event that he backed the industry by supporting exploration, noting that ore was becoming harder to find.

“My role…is to continue to shape the conditions for success through programmes such as the exploration incentive scheme (EIS),”

Through the EIS, the Western Australian government had made A$130-million available in funding for the period from April 2009 to June 2017, to stimulate increased private sector resource exploration.

The Gold Industry Group, which was launched at the Diggers and Dealers mining conference in Kalgoorlie last year, consists of a group of leading mining companies, which have teamed up to champion the gold industry.

Perth Mint CEO and Gold Industry Group chairperson Richard Hayes spoke about the importance of the group and what it could achieve collectively.

“The Gold Industry Group’s ultimate reason for being is to provide a unified voice for the industry and to promote gold across Australia and beyond.

“It is about engaging and educating our community on the contribution and value that this industry brings to society,” said Hayes.

Collectively, the Gold Industry Group represented the entire gold value chain – from geological exploration through mine site operations, to refining and fabrication, and the global distribution of gold to the end-consumer.

Members of the Gold Industry Group include The Perth Mint, Gold Fields Australia, Doray Minerals, Norton Gold Fields, Ramelius Resources, Gold Road Resources, Northern Star Resources, ABC Refinery, Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Macmahon Holdings, Ausdrill, Brinks Australia, G4S International Logistics, SMS Innovative Mining Solutions, IFAP, Bulk Bullion, WA Mining Club and Symposium.