Australia's large and diverse local underground mining industry produces a significant proportion of its coal, gold, nickel, copper, zinc, lead, tin, uranium and diamond exports.
The size and scope of Australia's underground mining industry, its safety culture, high production rates, the technical challenges associated with depth, geology, seismicity, and mining methods, and a history of transition from large-scale openpits and associated mine infrastructure to underground operations, have also fostered a thriving services and technology sector.