Western Australia has awarded more than $6 million in co-funded drilling grants through round 34 of its Exploration Incentive Scheme. The funding, about $6.16 million, supports 36 applicants across 40 projects in prospective and under-explored parts of the state. Almost two-thirds of successful applicants are based in the Goldfields-Esperance and Pilbara regions.
Copper features prominently: about half the drilling programs target copper either as a primary focus or within multi-commodity systems. More than a quarter of applicants are pursuing gold, and 12 projects target critical minerals including rare earth elements, cobalt, niobium, lithium and tungsten.
Mines minister Daniel Pastorelli said the scheme helps explorers pursue opportunities that might otherwise remain undeveloped, particularly in remote areas where rewards can be significant but risks are higher. The government cited past scheme successes including Black Canyon, whose drilling confirmed manganese mineralisation over a 3 km strike and contributed to a maiden resource, plus encouraging gold results for Ausgold Exploration, Great Boulder Resources and Cosmo Metals.
The state frames the spending as pipeline maintenance: Western Australia accounts for about 68 percent of national mineral exploration expenditure and is home to almost 60 percent of the country’s exploration companies, on the government’s figures. Small grants at the drilling stage are how that share is defended.