This is the message from New South Wales Natural Resources Minister Ian Macdonald who gave the opening address at the Mining 2020 conference running in conjunction with AIMEX this week.
Macdonald said the water debate in NSW was a classic example of this.
"Mining and energy use about 2.4 percent of the water while agriculture uses 95 percent for much less return in terms of product," he said.
In the NSW context, mining makes up one-third of the state's merchandise exports, employs some 20,000 people directly and about four times that indirectly.
The bulk of the state's mining business - 73% - is coal, largely drawn from the Hunter Valley, although other coal provinces such as the Gunnedah Basin are starting to open up.
However, metals and other minerals, which make up the remaining 27%, are likely to grow further in terms of their contribution to the scoreboard. Cadia, for example, is expanding its operation through Ridgeway Deeps and West Wyalong has been opened up. There are also new mines coming around Cobar and new mines developing around Broken Hill.
Macdonald admitted there had been problems with water at West Wyalong but said the mine had "worked out a satisfactory arrangement".
"The Greens are unhappy about it but the locals are happy with it," he said.
"The key primary industries are vital, particularly for regional communities. It makes for long-term sustainable communities.
"The industry has to be more aggressive, not only about promoting its economic benefits but also the environmental side of what it is doing."
Macdonald pointed to how the Cadia mine handled its water problems by buying water from the nearby town of Orange.
"That mine has done a brilliant job in providing both environmental and economic benefits to the region," he said.
Water aside, Macdonald acknowledged the issues faced in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and particularly coal's place in that mix.
He said the state would be leading in terms of clean coal technology and that he would be announcing a range of new clean coal projects in the near future.
Geosequestration is also on the agenda, something that was initially thought to be too hard for NSW.
