The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released its Mineral and Petroleum Exploration figures for the March 2025 quarter, revealing a nationwide downturn in exploration activity –both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year.

The data shows an 18.4% decline in total exploration expenditure compared to the December 2024 quarter, equating to a A$181-million fall. Year-on-year, exploration spend dropped by 11.5%, or A$105-million.

Commenting on the data, Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (Amec) CEO Warren Pearce said that the data released by the ABS corroborated what the association and its members had been saying for some time. 

“Those on the ground are doing it tough. The barriers to exploration have never been higher and it is extremely difficult to raise funds for exploration.

“As an industry we keep being told how important we are to the economic security of our country, but we are not seeing that support on the ground where it matters," said Pearce.

He stressed that changes were needed to buck the trend. "From land access and environmental approvals to coexistence issues with the renewables sector. These are struggles that were once on the horizon but are now in our face.”

From the peak in 2023, when national quarterly exploration spend surpassed A$1-billion, the March 2025 quarter recorded just A$804.7-million.

Drilling activity also declined. New exploration drilling was down 21.9% compared with the previous quarter, while total metres drilled fell by 11.6%.

Western Australia, the engine room of the nation’s mineral exploration, experienced the steepest decline. Total exploration spend in the state fell to A$530.6-million, down from a high of A$715-million in the September 2023 quarter. This represents a 19.5% quarter-on-quarter decrease and a 4% decline year-on-year, with copper, nickel and base metals the most affected.

In the Northern Territory, exploration expenditure fell to A$22.5-million – its lowest since the June 2017 quarter. Greenfield exploration in Northern Territory dropped 49% quarter-on-quarter and 54% year-on-year, plummeting from A$36.6-million in December 2023 to just A$7.3-million in the March 2025 quarter.

Queensland also mirrored the national trend, with exploration spend declining from A$165.9-million in the December 2023 quarter to A$104.7-million in the latest quarter. The state’s wet season, including severe flooding, contributed to the reduced activity.

In South Australia, exploration spend dropped by A$28-million over the last 18 months, down from A$79.5-million in December 2023 to A$51.7-million in the March 2025 quarter.

While most jurisdictions posted declines, New South Wales and Victoria bucked the trend. New South Wales recorded a 6.1% increase in quarterly exploration expenditure, while Victoria posted an 18.1% rise, driven by stronger gold and mineral sands activity.

Tasmania remained largely stable with a 2% quarterly increase to A$10-million. On an annual basis, however, it recorded a notable 33% rise.