Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Scarr and Brockman, move:

That the Senate—

(a) recognises the significance of the discovery of gold in the state of Western Australia;

(b) notes the following achievements for Western Australia's gold mining and exploration sector:

  (i) Western Australia continued to lead gold exploration activity in 2018-19, accounting for 70% ($673 million) of Australia's total gold exploration expenditure,

  (ii) Western Australia accounted for 212 tonnes (67%) of Australia's total gold production in 2018-19,

  (iii) gold sales by value increased 5% to almost $12 billion in 2018-19,

  (iv) the gold price broke through the AU$2000 barrier in June, averaged almost AU$2,220 in September 2019, setting a new record high, and

  (v) the gold mining and exploration sector directly employed over 31,000 people, and contributed over $291 million in royalties to Western Australia in 2018-19; and

(c) acknowledges that:

  (i) Phillip (Phil) Saunders and Adam Johns discovered gold in the tributaries of the Ord River in 1882,

  (ii) Edward T. Hardman played a key role in discovery of East Kimberley goldfields (Elvire River near Halls Creek) in 1884, and

  (iii) Charles Hall and John Slattery made the first discovery of payable gold in Halls Creek, Western Australia on 14 July 1885, triggering the Kimberley gold rush.

Question agreed to.