This makes Sydney NSW’s second largest mining region, NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said.

“Significantly, the research shows that 6% of jobs in the Sydney Local Government Area are supported in some way by mining activity in other parts of NSW,” he said.

The NSW mining industry has shown significant resilience over the past year despite difficult market conditions.

“This report, completed for a fourth year, demonstrates the importance of mining to the NSW economy, even during tough times for our sector.”

The 23 participating mining companies directly injected $11.3 billion into the NSW economy in 2014/15, including $2.7 billion on wages and salaries to 21,265 full-time employees, and $7.3 billion on purchases of goods and services with 7,694 local NSW businesses.

The Hunter remains the beating heart of the state’s mining sector, accounting for $4.8 billion or 42% of this direct expenditure by mining in NSW.