PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Queensland’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports have hit the A$1-billion mark in just six months since shipments commenced, while data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicated that the value of the state’s overall merchandise exports was also accelerating.

“The nominal value of Queensland merchandise exports rose 20% over the year to July,” Treasurer Curtis Pitt said.

“Growth over the year was driven by the ramp-up of LNG exports, which commenced in January, along with increases in the value of meat and coal exports.”

Pitt said Queensland’s LNG industry exported A$1.14-billion worth of gas from January to July.

“LNG is one of Queensland’s great economic success stories, one that will continue to shape the state economy in coming decades. LNG exports are projected to hit A$15-billion by 2016/17, earning the state valuable export dollars and annual royalties while supporting thousands of jobs.”

According to the ABS, minerals exports from Queensland hit A$2.3-billion in the July quarter, a rise of 25.2% compared with the same time last year.

“Each of Queensland’s major mineral exports recorded rises over the year,” Pitt said.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC), meanwhile, on Monday also released preliminary coal export data for the months of July and August, which showed that the two-month total of nearly 37.5-million tonnes was the industry’s strongest ever start to a financial year.

“Contrary to the propaganda from the green activists, coal remains one of the state’s economic mainstays,” QRC CEO Michael Roche said.

“With coal accounting for nearly 40% of Queensland’s exports in 2014/15, now is the right time for Queenslanders to take full advantage of an innovative and informative campaign launched this week by the nation’s coal industry.”

Roche congratulated the Minerals Council of Australia, which this week launched an ad campaign spelling out the economic impact of coal mining in Australia.

The campaign would cover television, radio and online advertising and would highlight not only the economic impact of coal, but also emission-reducing technologies.

“Some people will be bemused, while the activists will attempt to ridicule the story of our biggest export earner, but there can be no denying the essential truths set out in this campaign.

“With 1.3-billion people in the world today not having access to electricity, coal can play a dual role of alleviating poverty and reducing global carbon emissions,” Roche said.