Australia’s mineral exploration sector has posted solid results for the June 2025 quarter, according to new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The total national exploration spend for the financial year reached $3.83 billion, with brownfields exploration accounting for $2.82 billion and greenfields activity contributing $1.01 billion.
The standout performer for the quarter was gold. Expenditure on gold exploration surged by 36 per cent from the March quarter to reach $400.1 million. Compared to the same quarter last year, spending rose by $100 million, a 35 per cent increase. Gold exploration represented 40 per cent of all activity for the quarter, underlining its continued strength.
“Gold has been on an incredible run of late and these stats back it up. It’s also a sizable indicator that things are starting to improve,” AMEC chief executive officer Warren Pearce said.
Western Australia and Tasmania led the nation in growth for total exploration spend.
Recording a 10.2 per cent and 19.8 per cent increase respectively, these were the only jurisdictions to report quarter on quarter gains.
Over the longer term, Australia’s exploration sector has shown strong momentum according to AMEC.
Over the past five years, total exploration spending has increased by 21 per cent to $19.2 billion. South Australia and Tasmania reported the most significant five year growth, with gains of 161 per cent and 177 per cent respectively.
Total metres drilled for the year were only slightly down by 1 per cent, indicating steady field activity despite broader challenges.
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