BHP's Olympic Dam operation in South Australia.
The South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy (SACOME) has welcomed the release of the Fraser Institute 2021 Survey of Mining Companies, which shows South Australia as the 10th most attractive jurisdiction in the world for mining investment.
South Australia and Western Australia were the only two Australian states to be listed in the global Top-10 Investment Attractiveness index, constructed by combining the Best Practices Mineral Potential index (which rates regions based on their geologic attractiveness) and the Policy Perception index (that measures the effects of government policy on attitudes toward exploration investment).
South Australia also ranked ninth on the Best Practices Mineral Potential index and 16th on the Policy Perception index.
SACOME chief executive officer Rebecca Knol said the ranking underlined the ongoing importance of the State Government’s Accelerated Discovery Initiative, an exploration incentive which has been extended to 2025 and supports the potential discovery of new mineral and groundwater resources.
“Exploration is critical in ensuring a future pipeline of resources projects and increasing the resources sector’s already-significant economic contribution to the State,” she said.
“The State’s strong ranking is testament to the resilience of South Australia’s resources sector which has continued to operate and prosper throughout the COVID pandemic.”
Knol said South Australia had an abundance of untapped mineral wealth and SACOME continued to advocate for measures that resolve long-standing infrastructure and policy roadblocks to project development, address labour supply and demand challenges and enable greater levels of investment and economic growth for the whole State.
