Trade Statement a positive step for the NSW economy

Statement from NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee

The NSW Government’s Trade Statement released today is a positive step that sends a very strong signal about future opportunities for the NSW economy.

Mineral resources make a significant contribution to the export and trade performance of the NSW economy and it’s great to see this recognised in the Trade Statement released today.

The Statement’s ambitious target of doubling the value of NSW exports over the next decade will not be achieved without a strong ongoing contribution from our mining exports.

As the Statement highlights, our high-quality coal continues to be our State’s most valuable export commodity, with gold and copper exports also playing an important role.

Our minerals exports contribute between 20-25 percent of total NSW exports by value, and this is expected to continue, along with new opportunities for critical minerals and rare earths.

Demand continues to be strong for our high-quality coal, and for gold, copper and a range of other minerals driven by their role in the manufacture of many products, including electronics like laptops, tablets, phones and renewable energy technology.

NSW is blessed with an abundance of high-quality minerals and there is significant interest in further development of the sector. Exploration spending is at record highs, and there’s a strong pipeline of potential new projects across commodities, with the potential to bring billions in investment and thousands of jobs to NSW.

The NSW minerals sector is committed to helping the NSW Government meet its ambitious economic and trade objectives. We know we have an important role to play.

As a member of the NSW Government’s Trade and Investment Advisory Committee, I look forward to working on behalf of the minerals sector and more broadly to secure opportunities for more NSW jobs, investment and trade.

Contact: Brad Emery