Head of Resources John Krbaleski today participated in the Melbourne Mining Club's Victorian Gold Panel.
During the discussion he paid tribute to the minerals sector which recorded Victoria's highest ever quarterly exploration spend during the global pandemic.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics spending on minerals exploration increased 23.1 per cent in December 2020 quarter compared to the previous quarter, well out-pacing the national growth rate of 2.5 percent.
Year-on-year exploration spending in Victoria grew by 22.8 per cent.
Mr Krbaleski also outlined the department's work in supporting the sector through the minerals strategy, State of Discovery, and the research undertaken by the Geological Survey of Victoria.
He described the need to continue building community confidence and acceptance of mining throughout regions where activities take place as the sector's biggest challenge.
