A mining licence is issued by the Victorian Government under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990 and gives the holder mineral rights within the licence area. It does not, on its own, authorise mining. Before any mining could occur, a planning permit (or an Environment Effects Statement, if required) and an approved Mine Work Plan are needed. Those later approvals are where impacts such as traffic, noise, dust, water management and community safety are assessed.

Mining licence applications, planning permit applications and Environment Effects Statements are all publicly advertised or exhibited, giving the community the opportunity to review and comment before any decision is made.

If granted, a mining licence sets the framework under which any future activity on the licence area would be regulated. A mining licence can be granted for a term of up to 20 years.

The current proposal is a phased approach to the development of the Sunday Creek Gold and Antimony Project. We have applied for a mining licence over the Golden Dyke mineralisation and are seeking to develop a small-scale underground starter mine designed to utilise existing infrastructure. The initial development phase will not include on-site mineral processing. Ore will be transported off site to a third-party facility for the production of a gold and antimony concentrate. This staged approach is intended to support the progressive evaluation and development of the Project while minimising the scale of initial surface infrastructure and operational impacts. While a mining licence grants the holder the right to mine the mineral, an approved work plan and a planning permit are still required before mining can commence on the licence.

Over the past few years, exploration at Sunday Creek has significantly improved our understanding of the geology, particularly within the Golden Dyke area.

We now hold enough information on Golden Dyke to support the next stage of assessment of a small, targeted underground operation there. We do not yet have enough information to support development across the wider project.

Applying now reflects improved geological confidence and increased global demand for antimony. We are committed to being clear about what is being applied for and how the community can take part at each stage.

SXGC operates at Sunday Creek under an approved Exploration Work Plan, an environmental management system and a community complaints and feedback process.  

Our Community Engagement Plan sets out how we keep neighbours and the community informed. A Community Reference Group gives the community an ongoing say in how we operate, and we have regular meetings with Mitchell Shire Council. Environmental impacts are managed under our approved Exploration Work Plan, which includes rehabilitation commitments, and we report regularly to Resources Victoria to show we're meeting our licence conditions.  

Any mining activity would be subject to the additional controls set through the planning permit and Mine Work Plan.

During the advertising period, any person may make a submission directly to Resources Victoria. Details of how to do so are included in the public notice and on the Resources Victoria website at Have your say on new licence applications - Resources Victoria. Submissions must be lodged within 21 days of the last advertisement.

Further public consultation will occur on the planning permit application. We will also consult with the community as we prepare the Mine Work Plan.

We will also hold community information drop-in sessions in October to explain the approvals process and what is being considered for the Golden Dyke Mine Work Plan. We will keep you informed as each step occurs.

Community feedback is part of the formal approvals process and is considered by the decision makers at each stage.

Resources Victoria and other regulators assess community feedback alongside technical, environmental and safety information before making a decision.

The community is invited to participate at a number of stages of the mine approval process. Public participation can occur through a formal statutory process such as a mining licence application, a planning permit application or exhibition of an Environment Effects Statement; or other means such as a licence holder’s duty to consult with the community when preparing a work plan.

Outside the formal statutory process, we will continue to engage with the community by:

• sharing information about our proposed activities;

• listening to community views; and

• considering those views when making decisions.

The application, MIN009040, was accepted by Resources Victoria on 22 September 2026, which now starts the public phase of the assessment. It covers approximately 30.7 hectares of freehold land owned by us, centred on the historic Golden Dyke workings. This area reflects where mineralisation has been identified through drilling to date. Details of any surface infrastructure would be set out in the Mine Work Plan and planning permit application and shared with the community at that stage.

See map above. A map is also available on the Resources Victoria application website.

The decision to apply for a mining licence reflects the natural progression of the Sunday Creek Project following a highly successful exploration program and substantial investment in advancing the Company’s understanding of the mineral resource.  The project has advanced a long way from when we started permitting the decline, and the drilling and engineering data collected since have given us the confidence to apply.  The decline remains an exploration decline, and it could only become part of a future mine through an endorsed work plan and a planning permit, with the community having its say.  Nothing changes on site today. Exploration drilling across the Sunday Creek Project continues as planned, including from the exploration decline where we plan to have 12 underground drill rigs operating from the end of the year.

There will be several opportunities to provide feedback as the approvals process progresses, including formal public consultation periods and opportunities to speak directly with the project team.

You can contact the Community Team by emailing community@southerncrossgold.com.au or calling 1800 717 638.

Up-to-date information about the project, including explanations of the approvals process and key milestones, is available at www.southerncrossgoldcommunity.com.au