Mining Facts
Mining is an important contributor to a strong NSW economy.
Our industry supports around 40,000 jobs in Sydney and in mining regions across the state.
With long-term projects and global demand for our commodities remaining strong, mining will continue to help build and support economies and communities across regional NSW.
Mining produces the state’s most valuable export commodities – coal, gold and copper.
Mining companies operating in NSW pay billions of dollars in mining royalties to the NSW Government that contribute to the funding of essential infrastructure and services, like roads, hospitals, schools and police.
It takes a lot of different people in a lot of different jobs to keep our mines working. While around 40,000 people are directly employed in mining in NSW, thousands more work in mining-related jobs, including in the more than 7,000 businesses big and small in NSW that are part of the mining supply chain. These businesses support our mining operations by providing a range of goods and services needed to keep our mines operating. This helps to keep local economies growing and local communities flourishing.
Coal is NSW’s largest export earner in value terms, worth around $55 billion in 2022-23.
Coal export volumes from NSW to the rest of the world have doubled since 2001, from 75 million tonnes to over 164 million tonnes in 2018¹. This is an increase of over 118 percent, reflecting the continued strong demand for our high-quality NSW coal from our trading partners in Asia.
¹Coal Services Pty Ltd