Photo by Great Southern Treasures
What is the Katanning Gold Project (KGP)?
The Katanning Gold Project (KGP) is about 40 kilometres northeast of the wheatbelt town of Katanning in WA’s Great Southern region.
The ore body (the rock which includes the gold) is close to the ground’s surface, so the ore will be mined through a series of open pits (not underground). Ausgold needs to build infrastructure surrounding these open pits to operate the mine and process the ore. Around the pits will be rock piles (waste rock landforms), ore processing facilities, a storage facility for leftover materials from ore processing (tailings storage), an ore storage area topsoil stockpiles, ponds of water, workshops and minesite offices.
The Katanning Gold Project has been talked about for a long time, dating back to the mid-1990s when a different type of mine was operated by another company at the site. Ausgold is committed to developing a full scale mine and wants to be a good neighbour and active community member.
Ausgold’s exploration (land) holdings
Drill rigs on farm paddocks after harvest
Gold doré from the KGP mine will be transported to an offsite third-party refinery for further processing. Gold is one of the most precious metals on the planet: it can be used for jewellery, electronics and medicine and as a form of money.
The KGP mine is expected to produce an excess of 100,000 ounces of gold each year for at least 10 years.
During operations, the mine will require approximately 350 full-time employees and will offer opportunities for skills training. Ausgold will also agree contracts with local businesses to provide supporting services.
Target Development Timeline
Will the KGP affect the surrounding environment?
Ausgold is committed to responsible protection and management of the natural environment at the KGP site and surrounding areas. Mining in Australia is highly regulated. Mine plans are examined before they are approved, and mine operations must follow the law. Ausgold will be responsible for meeting government conditions and requirements at every stage of the KGP mine project. Ausgold views partnerships as an important way to understand and meet community expectations about the KGP mine and surrounding environment.
Local bushland and bungarra (goanna)
Vegetation and fauna
Land clearing in the past (for farming, roads and townships) has reduced native flora, fauna and habitat in the inland Wheatbelt Woodlands and heathlands.
Patches and parcels of Eucalypt bushland and chenopod shrublands (salt bush) stand on and around the KGP site.
Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo, Red-tailed Phascogales and feral pests (cats and foxes) have been recorded in nearby extensive woodlands.
Ausgold will limit vegetation clearing and restore lands (including by offsets) across the KGP mine construction, operation and closure phases.
An Ausgold water monitoring bore
Water
Only deep, saline (salty) groundwater will be abstracted (drawn) for KGP mining and processing. This could indirectly improve nearby land quality by reducing the volume of saline water.
KGP mining processes that draw on deep groundwater will not reduce any surface or fresh water available for farming or land management activity.
All water used at the KGP mine will be retained on the site. No water will be released to the natural environment. Ausgold will recycle and re-use all water at the KGP mine or the water will evaporate (dry up naturally).
Gold processing – an example
Operational effects
Once the KGP mine is approved and operating, dust and noise will be managed by technical measures such as acoustic dampening (noise reduction) and water sprays.
Leftover materials (tailings) from ore processing will be permanently stored in an engineered constructed facility (Tailings Storage Facility). Chemical content of processed ‘tails’ will be made non-hazardous before storage.
Mined rock that has no ore (waste rock) will be stored in shaped piles (landforms) to be safe, stable and non-polluting at the KGP mine closure phase.
How and when will land rehabilitation and restoration occur?
Ausgold is committed to responsible management of the land it is permitted to explore and develop for the KGP mine. Ausgold will restore the natural environment at the mine site and beyond. WA mines are highly regulated. Operational and mine closure plans must be examined and approved by government authorities. These plans must show how the land can be rehabilitated during the mining project to meet regulatory, interest group and community expectations.
Eucalypt woodlands of WA’s wheatbelt are already threatened by over-clearing, land degradation and changed groundwater conditions. After being used for KGP mining, land will be cleaned up and shaped, sealed and covered in soil layers. These created ‘landforms’ will help manage rainfall and promote plant re-growth through ecohydrology (the connection between water, soils and natural systems).
Partnering to benefit the land
Ausgold views partnerships as an important way to meet commitments about environmental management. We wish to work with local groups on seed collection and native plantings, support existing programs, or help create new ones. From 2025, seed from local native flora will be collected to help:
- Grow plant stock and replenish the countryside near the KGP mine
- Revegetate natural corridors and provide links for native fauna to move between remnant (areas of) vegetation.
- Stabilise the landscape on the KGP site after mining.
- Support decarbonisation.
Degraded, eroding bush land
Native mixed woodland near site
Wildflowers near the KGP site
Saltbush lowlands near site
Will the KGP benefit the community?
Ausgold is committed to producing gold in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Our vision is to unlock the resources potential of the Great Southern Region of Western Australia in a way that delivers positive social, environmental and economic outcomes for our stakeholders. Ausgold views partnerships as an important way to understand and meet community expectations about the KGP mine and surrounding environment.
KGP community information session
Core values
Integrity: Ausgold is dedicated to conducting its activities in a manner that is transparent and ethical. We will set, measure, report on and review objectives and targets that will drive continuous improvement in environmental, social and governance performance.
People: Ausgold embraces a safe and respectful culture that empowers our workforce to deliver excellence.
Community: Ausgold strives to provide accurate, purposeful, timely and transparent communication to its communities of interest, and to support initiatives that benefit local communities.
Innovation: Ausgold actively seeks opportunities to continuously improve our environmental, social and governance performance, including through the implementation of new technologies and processes.
Local road to the KGP site
Community Reference Group
Ausgold is committed to developing a full scale mine and wants to be a good neighbour and active community member. Our Community Reference Group will consider aspects of the KGP in the context of community experience and expectations to help make decisions as the project progresses.
The Reference Group will work together to identify and develop initiatives and activities that support biodiversity and community resilience and prosperity.
The Reference Group will enable an exchange of information between Ausgold and representatives from community, business, and government on defined topics, as follows:
- Civic infrastructure and services
- Community culture and assets
- Land, vegetation and water resources
- Local economic development.
Katanning shopfronts and businesses
Local business and employment
Ausgold views community investment and social benefit programs as essential to supporting a prosperous and diverse community in Katanning.
Ausgold will need a workforce and local suppliers across the life of the project and for different purposes.
We do not want to impact on viable local businesses and will offer opportunities for skills training in addition to support for education and development programs for young residents.
During operations, the mine will require approximately 150 full-time employees. Ausgold will also agree contracts with local businesses to provide supporting services. This will include working with local Aboriginal-led businesses with deep knowledge and experience of the native flora, fauna and landscape.
Target Development Timeline
Community Reference Group
Ausgold has established a Community Reference Group (CRG) for the Katanning Gold Project to work with the Company to identify and develop initiatives and activities that support biodiversity, land and water management, community resilience and prosperity.
Dr Tom Hatton (former Chair of WA’s Environmental Protection Authority) serves as the CRG’s Independent Chair. Representation in the CRG was invited from the community and stakeholders in late 2024, after a formal call for Expressions of Interest. The CRG members represent a cross-section of organisations including Shire councils, Aboriginal corporations, Landcare, Great Southern Regional Development Commission and local business associations.
Conversations to date are helping to direct the Company to focus on key matters including opportunities to augment and interface with existing public infrastructure (including roads and other shire assets), accommodation options (including sustainable regional housing), workforce planning, training and employment, economic benefits as well as land, water and environmental management.
CRG Members:
Community Reference Group Members |
Affiliation |
|
Ian Hanna |
Shire of Katanning |
|
John Goodheart |
Shire of Katanning |
|
Leanne Miniter |
Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar |
|
Julie Hayden |
Badgebup Aboriginal Corporation; Katanning Noongar Leadership Group |
|
Katie Wheeler |
Katanning Regional Business Association; Rotary Club of Katanning |
|
Andrew Gibbons |
Katanning Landcare |
|
Jarrad Gardner |
Great Southern Development Commission |
Local Sponsorship & Support
Ausgold is proud to sponsor a variety of local stakeholder events including the 2025 Katanning Senior High School Graduation Ball and the 2025 Shire of Katanning’s Harmony Festival.
The Company has also provided a range of kit to youth members of the Badgebup Junior Ranger program.
For more information about how to seek local sponsorship and support, click the link below.
Local Office
Ausgold has an office at 100 Clive Street, Katanning which is our focal point for community engagement.
We encourage all community members to drop in for a chat to discuss latest developments at the Katanning Gold Project and share any concerns or feedback you may have.
We will also hold drop-in sessions at the Shop Front to provide updates on opportunities for employment, supply of services and community engagement as the Project develops.
We vary opening hours, generally between 9.00am to 11.30am and 1.00pm to 3.00pm, three to four days per week.
Community Contact
You can contact our local Community Team via email at community@ausgoldlimited.com or call us on the dedicated community mobile number on 0423 802 725
