Why we did it
Geoscience Australia plays an important role by developing precompetitive geoscience data to technically de-risk underexplored 'greenfield' areas, which encourages exploration investment and helps provide certainty and security for the minerals, energy and agriculture sectors.
Groundwater is a critical intergenerational resource for Australia, providing drinking water to millions of people in cities, towns and small communities, supporting billions of dollars of economic activity each year and sustaining our natural environment. It is crucial for Australian industries, particularly the agriculture industry.
Australia is the driest inhabited continent, making water use and management a key challenge. Reliable water resources are critical for successful and healthy Australian communities, especially in remote areas. Most of the freshwater used across northern Australia comes from groundwater rather than from surface water sources.
In the last few decades, we have more than doubled our groundwater use. Today, groundwater accounts for around one third of Australia's total water consumption. This need is only going to increase over time as we aim to build our industries, particularly in rural and remote Australia.
The Exploring for the Future program sought to improve management of this vital resource to support future water security across the country.
Energy, specifically access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy will be an ongoing need as we seek to warm or cool our homes, fuel our industries, and transition to a lower carbon economy. In future we will be supported by lower emissions energy sources, like natural gas, to balance energy demand and supply.
By 2029 it is expected that an additional 3 million homes will need to be powered by gas. Australia is the largest exporter of liquid natural gas (LNG), and the resource is one of our most significant export commodities. Australia is also embarking on a journey to become a major exporter of hydrogen by 2030.
To support the transition to lower carbon emissions and renewable energy, the program sought to improve the supply of gas in the immediate term and kick start the hydrogen economy while also securing supplies of liquid fuel.
Minerals, including critical minerals, are vital to Australia's advanced manufacturing and energy sectors. For example, a single wind turbine requires 3-4 tonnes of copper. The batteries that store the energy generated by that turbine are built with lithium and cobalt. Many devices we rely on every day, including the one you are using right now, consist of more than 20 metals. Australia can produce these materials to support our own domestic manufacturing sectors and continue to build our export market.
Elements widely used in energy pathways over time. (Source: Zepf V, Reller A, Rennie C, Ashfield M & Simmons J, BP (2014): Materials critical to the energy industry)
The benefits from resources that we see today are from investments and developments made decades ago. They come from well-known and well-explored areas of Australia. In fact, over 80% of Australia's current mineral production comes from mines discovered before 1980, where resources are close to the surface.
In Australia, there is a huge, untapped opportunity in areas that are underexplored and unexplored, also known as 'greenfield' areas. This includes areas where resources may be buried deep in the ground—areas that span about 80% of Australia's landmass. The challenge is to see through the cover and map the structures and composition of the Earth, in the search for new mineral, energy and groundwater resources.
The Exploring for the Future program was designed to address this challenge. Drawing together data, science and innovative techniques and technology, the program enabled us to map undercover and underexplored areas. This in turn encourages new investment in 'greenfield' areas by providing security and certainty to our minerals, energy and agriculture sectors about the resource potential. It also helps identify areas where new high-value agricultural industries could leverage groundwater resources in responsible and sustainable ways. We utilise the tools that 'shine a light' below the surface and deep into the Earth in innovative and unique ways to reveal new resource exploration and development opportunities.
Exploring for the Future is a world leading program, delivering public geoscientific data and the evidence required to attract future investment in resource exploration and development.
We have completed 21 collaborative activities that have mapped the geology of northern Australia, covering over 3 million km2 — 39% of Australia's landmass and delivering more than 250 datasets and reports.
We used world leading scientific skills and technical capability to capture and analyse a huge amount of data, leading to an unprecedented understanding of the Earth beneath northern Australia.
According to a 2023 Deloitte Access Economics report, government geoscience data and analysis supported $76b of added value to the economy in 2021-22, or 3.5% of GDP. Learn more about how the program has realised impact
Better evidence-based decision-making between landholders, traditional owners, public, government and industry.
Growing economic prosperity and social well-being through resource development, investment in resource exploration, new job creation and responsible agricultural planning.
Improved intergenerational water security and community resilience.
