The large increase in global commodity prices since the mid 2000s has resulted in significant growth in Australia’s investment spending and export values. This has been most pronounced in Western Australia and Queensland, which are the states with the highest concentration of mining resources. This article discusses recent differences in economic conditions across the states. It shows that while mining investment has led to quite divergent patterns in spending across states, the growth in state production has been more similar, the dispersion between state unemployment rates has been low by historical standards over ... (full story)