New South Wales - Economy, Agriculture, Tourism

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It produces a large share of Australia’s grain, including wheat, corn (maize), and sorghum, and most of its silver, lead, and zinc. The state’s share of dairy production has greatly declined because of industry deregulation and more efficient Victorian production, and its share of coal production has fallen with the rise of Queensland exports, although it remains a major producer from open-pit, or open-cut, mines in the Hunter River valley."/> <meta property="og:type" content="ARTICLE"/> <meta property="og:title" content="New South Wales - Economy, Agriculture, Tourism | Britannica"/> <meta property="og:description" content="New South Wales - Economy, Agriculture, Tourism: Economically, New South Wales is the most important state in Australia, with about one-third of the country’s sheep, one-fifth of its cattle, and one-third of its small number of pigs. It produces a large share of Australia’s grain, including wheat, corn (maize), and sorghum, and most of its silver, lead, and zinc. The state’s share of dairy production has greatly declined because of industry deregulation and more efficient Victorian production, and its share of coal production has fallen with the rise of Queensland exports, although it remains a major producer from open-pit, or open-cut, mines in the Hunter River valley."/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Encyclopedia Britannica" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/2976-050-054E09B1/Flag-New-South-Wales.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="init opengraph"> Mendel.openGraph = {"type":"ARTICLE","title":"New South Wales - Economy, Agriculture, Tourism","description":"New South Wales - Economy, Agriculture, Tourism: Economically, New South Wales is the most important state in Australia, with about one-third of the country’s sheep, one-fifth of its cattle, and one-third of its small number of pigs. 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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales">New South Wales</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/New-South-Wales">Introduction & Quick Facts</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref284913"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales#ref284913">Land</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42465"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales#ref42465">Relief</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42466"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales#ref42466">Drainage</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42467"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Soils">Soils</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42468"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Soils#ref42468">Climate</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42469"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Soils#ref42469">Plant and animal life</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref42471"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/People">People</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42472"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/People#ref42472">Population composition</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42470"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/People#ref42470">Settlement patterns</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42473"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/People#ref42473">Demographic trends</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref42474"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Economy">Economy</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42476"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Economy#ref42476">Agriculture, forestry, and fishing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42475"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Economy#ref42475">Resources and power</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42477"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Economy#ref42477">Manufacturing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298138"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Services-labour-and-taxation">Services, labour, and taxation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42478"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Services-labour-and-taxation#ref42478">Transportation</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref42479"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Government-and-society">Government and society</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42480"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Government-and-society#ref42480">Constitutional framework</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42482"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Government-and-society#ref42482">Health and welfare</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42481"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Government-and-society#ref42481">Education</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref42483"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Cultural-life">Cultural life</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298139"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Cultural-life#ref298139">The arts</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298140"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Cultural-life#ref298140">Cultural institutions</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298141"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Sports-and-recreation">Sports and recreation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref298142"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Sports-and-recreation#ref298142">Media and publishing</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref42484"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/History">History</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42485"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/History#ref42485">Prehistory and early British settlement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42486"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/The-growth-of-a-free-society">The growth of a free society</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42487"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/The-growth-of-a-free-society#ref42487">Movement toward self-rule</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42488"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Economic-developments">Economic developments</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42489"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/Federation">Federation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42490"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/New-South-Wales/The-postwar-period">The postwar period</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/New-South-Wales">Facts & Stats</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/76/2976-050-054E09B1/Flag-New-South-Wales.jpg" 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Jeans</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Associate Professor of Geography, University of Sydney. Author of <i>The Open Air Museum: The Cultural Landscape of New South Wales; </i>editor of <i>Australia: A Geography (</i>2 vol.<i>).</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> D.N. Jeans</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Nicholas-Brown/7964502" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Nicholas Brown</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Senior Research Fellow, Australian National University. Author of <em>Richard Downing: Economics, Advocacy and Social Reform in Australia</em> (2001); coeditor of <em>Managing Diversity: Practices of Citizenship</em>...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Nicholas Brown</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-11-12T00:00:00CST" >Nov 12, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/22/clearly-an-industry-win-concern-over-leaked-classified-document-on-nsw-pokies-reform" rel="nofollow">‘Clearly an industry win’: concern over leaked classified document on NSW pokies reform</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 21, 2024, 10:42 PM ET (The Guardian) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/22/nsw-goverment-biodiversity-offset-scheme-minns-government" rel="nofollow">NSW government passes bill to repair ‘broken’ biodiversity offset scheme</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 21, 2024, 6:40 PM ET (The Guardian) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2024/nov/22/australia-news-live-climate-protestival-newcastle-harbour-immigration-deportation-bill-domestic-violence-housing-cost-of-living-energy-economy" rel="nofollow">Australia news live: Penny Wong says Australia ‘respects the independence’ of ICC after Netanyahu arrest warrant; heatwave coming to Victoria and NSW</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 21, 2024, 11:38 AM ET (The Guardian) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/21/australia-weather-forecast-bom-heatwave-alert-queensland-flooding" rel="nofollow">Weekend heatwave forecast for NSW and Victoria, with temperatures to top 36C in Melbourne</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 21, 2024, 6:57 AM ET (The Guardian) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/21/chaotic-sydney-train-shutdown-averted-after-eleventh-hour-crisis-talks-with-union" rel="nofollow">Sydney train strike: chaotic shutdown averted after 11th-hour crisis talks with union</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Nov. 21, 2024, 2:27 AM ET (The Guardian) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><span class="marker h4"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref42474"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="147994" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/100183-050-40A4BF80/Circular-Quay-Sydney-business-district.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/412057/147994"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/100183-050-40A4BF80/Circular-Quay-Sydney-business-district.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/100183-050-40A4BF80/Circular-Quay-Sydney-business-district.jpg?w=300" alt="Circular Quay, a transportation hub close to the business district of Sydney." data-width="1600" data-height="1200" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/100183-050-40A4BF80/Circular-Quay-Sydney-business-district.jpg" data-href="/media/1/412057/147994">Circular Quay, a transportation hub close to the business district of Sydney.</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Economically, New South Wales is the most important state in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Australia</a>, with about one-third of the country’s sheep, one-fifth of its cattle, and one-third of its small number of pigs. It produces a large share of Australia’s grain, including wheat, corn (maize), and sorghum, and most of its silver, lead, and zinc. The state’s share of dairy production has greatly declined because of industry deregulation and more efficient Victorian production, and its share of coal production has fallen with the rise of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Queensland-state-Australia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Queensland</a> exports, although it remains a major producer from open-pit, or open-cut, mines in the Hunter River valley. The state has retained the largest concentration of manufacturing of any Australian state, but an expansion in heavy industries around the mid-20th century came to an end in the 1970s. As in the rest of Australia, the sector has declined since then due to reduced tariffs, a small market, lack of skills, and a floating Australian dollar.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">From the 1980s the downturn in these aspects of the state’s economy has been partially balanced by growth in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/service-industry" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">service sector</a>. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sydney-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sydney</a> in particular became a national and Asia-Pacific centre for finance and insurance offices, banking headquarters, property and business services, and information and communications management. Growth in these areas led to the city’s marked deindustrialization, and manufacturing employment declined significantly there after 1980. However, postindustrial Sydney has proven <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="vulnerable" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vulnerable" data-type="MW">vulnerable</a> to international economic instability, particularly as New South Wales has not received the kind of increased income from the resources sector that has benefited states such as Queensland and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Australia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Western Australia</a>. While the growth of services in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has created new jobs and contributed to a downward trend in unemployment, the associated labour market was volatile and characterized by relatively high rates of part-time employment.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <section data-level="2" id="ref42476"><h2 class="h2">Agriculture, forestry, and fishing</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Agriculture is practiced throughout the state, except in the western third. About three-fifths of the acreage under crops is sown for wheat for domestic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="consumption" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consumption" data-type="MW">consumption</a> and for a precarious export market threatened by subsidies in other wheat-exporting countries. Other grains include corn, oats, rice, millet, and sorghum. Potatoes, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/alfalfa" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">alfalfa</a> (lucerne), grapes, sugarcane, citrus fruits, and pome fruits (fleshy fruits of the rose family, such as apples and pears) are also grown. Farmers live on their farms, which range in size from 200 acres (80 hectares) in the coastal dairy and sugar belt to 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) in the “fat-lamb” country of the tablelands and in the wheat-sheep areas of the slopes. Beyond lie the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="vast" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/vast" data-type="EB">vast</a> leaseholds of the Western Division, where tracts of 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares) are not uncommon. Historically, excellent wine has been produced in the Hunter valley, and the production of wine grapes has spread extensively through New South Wales. The state’s viticulture reflects regional variations and has received increasing international recognition. Cotton has rapidly increased in irrigated areas, as has rice growing, although both sectors have had to adapt to prolonged drought conditions. New South Wales farmers have emphasized the relatively chemical-free nature of their production to international markets interested in “green” agriculture, and they have adopted advanced techniques in the selection and breeding of plant varieties in order to increase yields and capture more specialized markets.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">New South Wales is Australia’s most important timber-producing state, accounting for about half of Australia’s production. Historically, this activity has been encouraged by the very low prices set by the state’s forestry <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="commission" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/commission" data-type="EB">commission</a>, Forests NSW, and since the 1990s has been the regulated by a series of regional agreements and restructurings to place the industry on a sustainable footing. Reforestation, of both eucalypts and pine forests, is a regular program. There also is a major program of replanting trees over much of the cleared inland forests.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The fishing resources of the New South Wales coast are limited by a narrow <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/continental-shelf" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">continental shelf</a>. Several species have been identified as overfished, and both commercial and recreation catches are closely monitored. Intensive aquaculture industries—for example, in Sydney rock oysters—have been developed.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-read-more-module" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref475390" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/6078-050-18D5DEFE/Flag-Australia.jpg" alt="Australia" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-navy-dark">More From Britannica</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Australia: New South Wales</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <section data-level="2" id="ref42475"><h2 class="h2">Resources and power</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="146791" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/115789-050-8D38BE99/Cobar-New-South-Wales-Australia.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/412057/146791"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/115789-050-8D38BE99/Cobar-New-South-Wales-Australia.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/115789-050-8D38BE99/Cobar-New-South-Wales-Australia.jpg?w=300" alt="Open-pit mine, Cobar, N.S.W., Austl." data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/115789-050-8D38BE99/Cobar-New-South-Wales-Australia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/412057/146791">Open-pit mine, Cobar, N.S.W., Austl.</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The most important mineral resource is the black coal of the Sydney <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="Basin" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Basin" data-type="EB">Basin</a>, which is mined at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Wollongong" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Wollongong</a>, at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lithgow" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Lithgow</a>, and in the <span id="ref475528"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Hunter-River-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hunter</a> valley. Coalfields are also located in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Gunnedah" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Gunnedah</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Narrabri" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Narrabri</a> areas. Many old shaft (underground) mines have closed, and open-pit mines have opened in the Hunter valley and at Ulan. The main silver, lead, and zinc deposits are at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Broken-Hill" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Broken Hill</a>; fluctuating prices have limited full exploitation of the resources. Copper mining is important in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Cobar" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cobar</a>. Tin is still obtained in small quantities in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-England" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">New England</a> region of northeastern New South Wales, and mineral sands mining extracts rutile, the basis for titanium.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Coal is the main power source. There is, however, some <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/hydroelectric-power" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">hydroelectric power</a> from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Snowy-Mountains" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Snowy Mountains</a> Hydro-electric Scheme, a major development initiated in 1949 by interstate cooperation. Natural gas supplies are piped in from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Australia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">South Australia</a> and Victoria. Renewable energy sources—solar, wind, and biomass—were increasingly <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="exploited" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/exploited" data-type="EB">exploited</a> in the early 21st century, although the initial investment costs were high.</p><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/DN-Jeans/3828">D.N. Jeans</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/contributor/Nicholas-Brown/7964502">Nicholas Brown</a></span> </section> <section data-level="2" id="ref42477"><h2 class="h2">Manufacturing</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Employment in manufacturing has declined steadily in New South Wales since the 1970s, and the sector proved slow to respond to streamlining measures taken in the 1980s, such as staff reductions and the reduction of tariffs. Given a relatively high (for Australia) orientation to export markets, the sector has also been vulnerable to international fluctuations. While one-third of Australian manufacturing remained in New South Wales as of the early 21st century, employment in the sector continued to decline. Textiles, clothing, and footwear manufacturing were particularly affected by the importation of cheaper goods. Food, tobacco, and printing were not affected to the same extent, but paints and chemicals were also in decline in terms of production, employment, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/wage" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">wage and salary</a> levels.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Almost three-fourths of the state’s manufacturing industries are located in Sydney, with engineering, metal trade industries, oil refining, petrochemicals, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/food-processing" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">food processing</a> particularly concentrated there. Sydney also bore the brunt of factory closures and unemployment as industries increasingly relocated from away from the inner city to outer suburban areas. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Newcastle-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Newcastle’s</a> steelworks closed in 1999, and with them went many associated industries.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">New management strategies, centring on <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="innovation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation" data-type="MW">innovation</a>, investment in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/human-capital" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">human capital</a>, and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="niche" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/niche" data-type="MW">niche</a> capabilities, have been adopted to meet these pressures. Medical, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and surgical products, architectural aluminum, aerospace components, and computing equipment are among the areas in which New South Wales accounts for a large part of Australia’s manufacturing production. The sector continues to confront the challenges of lower-cost international competitors, rapid technological change, and restricted access to capital and skills.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span></section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":4,"pagesTotal":13,"pageId":412057,"pageLength":1118,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"STATE_PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":4,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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New South Wales - Economy, Agriculture, Tourism | Britannica