Nickel mining in Western Australia

Nickel mining in Western Australia has been an industry that has had many fluctuations of fortune in its history. Large fluctuations in the world nickel price have seen mines close and reopen on several occasions.

Nickel mining is the sixth largest commodity sector in Western Australia with a value of $4.946 billion in 2021–22. The 147,190 tonnes sold during this time period accounted for 5.5 percent of the world's Nickel production and 100 percent of all nickel produced in Australia. The 2021–22 value of nickel sales was the highest in 15 years while the amount produced was the lowest in 20 years.

From 1997 to 2022, Western Australia was the only state or territory in Australia to produce nickel. With the restart of nickel concentrate production at the Avebury nickel project in Tasmania in October 2022, this status changed.

Australia (predominantly Western Australia) holds one-third of the world's known reserves of nickel-producing laterites and sulfide deposits. As of 2011, Australia was the world's fifth largest nickel producer. The only other significant Australian nickel production outside Western Australia is a refinery at Yabulu, Queensland which processes ore from New Caledonia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Cobalt is produced as a by-product in Western Australia nickel mines, producing 5,314 tonnes at a value of $522 million was produced in 2021–22.