Resourceful state on the rise
By Rachel Dally-Watkins 21 May, 2015 THE resources industry is a mainstay of the Queensland economy, contributing $77.6 billion during 2013-2014 and accounting for one in five jobs in the state. The Queensland Resources Council (QRC), which represents explorers, miners, contractors, mineral processors, oil and gas producers and electricity generators with interests in the state, estimated that the resources industry supported 17,000 businesses during 2013-2014 with direct spending of $37.5 billion. It also contributed $2.5 billion in royalties, and employed 442,000 full time employees (directly and indirectly). “Queensland is the leading exporter of coking coal in the world; currently, both coking coal and thermal coal combined accounts for about 70 per cent of the value of resource production in Queensland,”…