Instead, due to the capital-intensive nature of mining, it is in the investment figures where the evidence of structural change is clearest. Over the next few years, mining-sector investment will reach new highs as a share of GDP, and is likely to account for around 40 per cent of total business investment (Graph 2).
Structural change is also clearly evident in the export numbers, with resources now accounting for around 60 per cent of total exports, up from 35 per cent a decade ago. Graph 2  This boom in the mining sector and the terms of trade is having positive spillover effects to a number of areas of the economy, including parts of the services sector.