WA has led the nation in resource sales, netting $167.3b for the 2019 calendar year.
The state’s Department of Mines, Industry, Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) said sales rose by 28pc from 2018 ($130.3b), mainly from iron and gold production.
The DMIRS said high iron ore prices in the first half of 2019, following global supply shortages, were the main contributor, with $97.7b of the product sold last year, accounting for 76pc of overall mineral sales in WA.
Not far behind were gold sales, with the volume being the highest the state has shipped in more than two decades, with $13.8b worth of the metal sold last year, also thanks to record gold prices of more than $2000/oz average.
Industry confidence in the state resulted in the state’s strong performance and influx of resource projects, estimated to be worth $118.4b as of March this year.
The statistics also found that employment rose to a record 133,094 workers from 120,511 in 2018.
