The Australian Bureau of Statistics tracked WA exploration spending as falling 14.9%, or $44.8 million, over the period.

In seasonally adjusted terms, the national trend indicated a 9.2% fall in expenditure to $480.2 million over the quarter, compared to a peak of about $1 billion in the March 2012 quarter.

The ABS marked the fall in original terms at 25.5% to $408 million over the quarter, with exploration in areas of new deposits down 31% and work at existing deposits down 22.8%.

Iron ore was the hardest hit commodity, with exploration spending down 37.5% or $69 million.

It was followed by the gold sector, which saw exploration spending decrease by 29.9%, or $34.8 million, over the period.

The figures follow a pledge from Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane last month to bolster exploration investment through a development incentive scheme expected to be supported by $100 million in federal monies.

Mining industry lobby groups have been pushing for government support on the issue, with reports emphasising that although exploration itself represents only a fraction of Australian economic activity, it drives the broader resources and energy sector.

The Chamber of Energy and Minerals of WA has been outspoken recently, applauding Macfarlane’s commitment to exploration incentives and highlighting the worrying trend of tumbling investment.

In May, CME’s quarterly economic brief charted increases in WA iron ore and gold production over the three months to December but a 14.5% decline in exploration spending.

It represented a 30% decline in exploration dollars versus the same period in the previous year.

Recent ABS data also revealed a drop in pre-tax earnings and profit for mining over the 2013 financial year.

Mining operating profit before tax slumped 34.3%, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation fell 23.5%.

Mining industry employment at the end of June 2013 was 190,000, down from 193,000 a year earlier.