Australia’s big miners including BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue and companies controlled by Gina Rinehart paid more than $28.5 billion in tax in 2020-21, accounting for nearly a third of total corporate tax revenue.
Here are seven charts that show how the mining sector, which includes oil and liquified natural gas, dominates the Australian economy.
Charts 1 and 2: Iron ore spot price peaked at a record $US237.50 a tonne in FY2021, and although the price has eased recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused coal and liquified natural gas prices to spike.