Resumen de Industrial mineral mining down under - the potential and the pitfalls
Like much of the rest of the world, Australia's mineral sector has been hit by falling mineral prices, declining ore grades and a lack of investor confidence. This, coupled with the political risks associated with mining in Australia (pp.52-53) under a left-leaning government make for a fairly uncertain mining future.
Australia's political landscape rests against the backdrop of a dual-speed economy, which last year saw a booming resources sector fuel inflation - but at the cost of the manufacturing, tourism and retail sectors. With a global requirement to reduce debt and return to a fiscal surplus, it's no surprise that the temptation to utilise the resource sector in Australia as a gold mine remains high.
Despite the uncertainty caused by the recent changes in Australia's governing body, the potential for the country's mineral sector remains vast. Large, though often underexploited, deposits of graphite (pp.41-45), silica sand, ilmenite, zircon, lithium, rare earths, kaolin, bentonite and others can be found across the landscape.
