THE Premier of Victoria Ben Caroll visited Southern Cross Gold in Clonbinane last week to announce a $20 million investment in a new processing facility for antimony.
According to the Premier, antimony is the next resource set to help Victoria boom. It is a chemical element classified as a silvery-white metalloid that is hard, brittle and flaky.
Found underground, antimony is used in products such as clothing materials, batteries and rubber to help improve their fire resistance. It also plays an important role in a range of industries, including the production of solar panel glass, electronics and defence technology.
Victoria is emerging as a key producer of the mineral, which is considered strategically important due to its use in a range of critical industries.
Mr Carroll said the new processing facility would create hundreds of jobs across regional Victoria.
“Labor will turn that demand into hundreds of jobs in the regions,” he said.
“Gold built Victoria’s last great boom, critical minerals will build the next one. This time, we’re not just digging it up, we’ll make it here.”
Southern Cross Gold has expanded significantly over the past couple of years, growing from a small on-site team to more than 200 workers. The workforce is expected to increase to 500 within the next three to four years.
Southern Cross Gold chief executive officer Michael Hudson welcomed the announcement.
“It is one of the most exciting gold discoveries in the world,” he said.
“All this only happens so quickly with the support of a government that is open for business.”
Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes also attended the announcement, saying the project would provide a significant boost to regional employment.
“Very excited in relation to an announcement today which means more jobs, particularly for regional Victoria,” she said.
“This is the second mine in Victoria that will soon be extracting this precious metal, which is a heat-resistant metal that is so vital for so many industries, including the renewables industry, defence industry, and technology and innovation industry.”
However, the focus soon shifted from the announcement, with questions directed at the Premier and ministers about a Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) report released the previous day. The report highlighted a significant funding shortfall relating to ageing Victorian firefighting equipment and utilities.
For the full report and to hear what Ms Symes and Mr Carroll had to say click here
