By Andrew Mackinnon
Last updated: 25th April, 2026
The resources in the ground in Australia, including thermal coal, natural gas, oil (from which petrol (i.e. gasoline), diesel and other by-products of oil are produced), metallurgical coal, iron ore (from which steel is produced), bauxite (from which aluminium is produced), copper sulfide (from which copper is produced) and many other resources, are owned by the Australian federal government on behalf of Australian citizens, not the privately owned mining businesses that extract them.