The Northern Territory’s Resource Week has begun in Darwin, attracting delegates from across the Australian and Southeast Asian mining sector.
Now in its 15th year, NT Resources Week is an amalgamation of the Southeast Asia Australia Offshore and Onshore Conference (SEAAOC), the Mining the Territory Conference and the Environmental Management and Decarbonisation Forum.
“The mining and resource industry plays a vital role in the Northern Territory, and it will continue to play one as we head towards a renewable energy and net zero emission future,” NT Minister for Mining and Industry Nicole Manison said.
“The Northern Territory is bucking the national trend in mineral exploration expenditure and setting records, driven by demand for our critical minerals.”
Manison said the NT’s resource industry is worth around $6.2 billion and is one of the largest job creators with around 5300 people directly employed by the sector.
“As the world transitions to renewable energy the demand for the Northern Territory’s resources will grow, we will be global leaders in the critical minerals supply chain – boosting our economy and creating thousands of jobs,” she said.
Mineral exploration expenditure in the Northern Territory in the 2022–23 financial year (FY23) grew to $200.1 million, up 17 per cent from the previous year and the highest recorded since FY12.
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show the state’s critical minerals expenditure leads the way, increasing 33 per cent in FY23 to $88.6 million, comprising 44 per cent of all mineral exploration in the NT.
Exploration also increased for other critical minerals, such as copper.
The Northern Territory has 15 internationally recognised critical minerals and has geological potential for a further emerging 13.