Minmetals Resources reported in mid-December 2011 its board of directors approved spending A$157 million for the next stage of development at its Dugald River zinc project in northwest Queensland.

November 2011 was a taxing month for Australia’s mining industry, with new taxes coming at the industry from three directions.

BHP Billiton recently announced approval of $1.2 billion in pre-commitment capital for the first phase of its huge Olympic Dam expansion project in South Australia. The announcement came two days after Australia’s national government and South Australia’s state government announced environmental approvals had been granted for the project. The majority of the pre-commitment capital was conditional on successful passage of an Indenture agreement through the South Australian parliament, BHP Billiton said.

Rio Tinto has budgeted for three significant infrastructure projects in support of ongoing expansions of its iron ore production capacity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. A US$520-million project (Rio Tinto share $417 million) will upgrade Rio Tinto’s integrated Pilbara power and gas network; a $313-million project (Rio Tinto share $289 million) will add to its fuel infrastructure; and a $310-million project will assure a sustainable water supply.

Western Australia’s Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore reported in late September 2011 that sales by the state’s resources sector reached a record A$101.2 billion during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.