Australia, the large Island continent, has been generously furnished with abundant natural resources. With these resources, not surprisingly the various kinds of industries utilizing these resources are emerged in Australia. One of the most important industries is mining. Australia has the world's largest reserves of several mineral commodities in both minerals and energy resources. The Mining sector includes all units mainly engaged in mining, including the mineral exploration, and the provision of a wide variety of services supporting mining and mineral exploration. The discovery of the gold in New South Wales and Victoria has forced Australia into the group leader in mining countries since 1851. This essay will focus on the mining in
For example, "In the ten years to 1861, Victoria produced 750 tons of gold, some 40 percent of the world's output in that period." (Shackleton and Binnie 1993, 39). During the Golden Rush era of 1851 to 1860, early migration peaked at arrivals of around 50,000 people a year. Most immigrants came from Europe, America and particularly China. The first Chinese seeking gold arrived in 1853 and there were 2,000 Chinese in Victoria in 1854. In 1858, the Chinese population of Australia reached a peak of 40,000. "During this period, Chinese immigrants were the largest non-British group." (Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs 2005). The growth of Australian population is related to the employment in the mineral sector. Blaniney (1978, 6) claims that the mining sector is a major employer with more than 60,000 employees. Moreover, the industry also creates more than 300,000 further indirect jobs from manufacturing downstream products related to the mining sector. "The minerals sector therefore directly influences output, income and employment in those sectors which supply its inputs." (Cook and Porter 1984, 9). While this is just a only tiny proportion of the national workforce, the mining industry is a key employer in regional and remote Australia where most mining operations take place. Thus, when a new mine is discovered, population growth seemingly follows.