Australian exploration shows signs of life

Total mineral exploration spend increased by 0.6% during the September quarter, to A$349.2-million, with Western Australia pushing the trend, delivering a 1.9% increase in exploration spend. New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Monday revealed that the seasonally adjusted estimate for mineral exploration expenditure increased by 1%, to A$351.3-million, with Queensland being the driving force, with a 14.3% increase.