Victory Minerals put on notice for second time this year

The Victorian Government has issued Victory Minerals an infringement notice for failing to report a fire for more than two days at its Ballarat gold mine located in Mount Clear.

Organisations that hold a minerals license are legally required in Victoria to report incidents — including fires, slopes and tailings dam failures, explosions and all breaches of license or work authority conditions — to Resources Victoria’s chief inspector.

This is the second time this year that Resources Victoria has issued the company an infringement notice. In February, the regulator issued an infringement notice for a breach of Victory Minerals’ blast limit at its Ballarat gold mine that occurred when an underground blast exceeded the permitted level of ground vibration.

Resources Victoria chief inspector Renee Palmer says detailed, accurate and timely reporting helps ensure risks can be promptly identified and immediately addressed.

“Any unexpected event linked to site activities that is likely to cause significant harm to individuals, the environment or operations at the site must be reported to Resources Victoria,” she said.

Victory Minerals — wholly owned by Singaporean company Chrysos Investments — acquired the Ballarat mine in December 2023 after the previous operator, Balmaine Gold, went into voluntary administration.

Under previous ownership, the site faced multiple allegations of underground safety breaches and regulatory non-compliance regarding rehabilitation and tailings waste management.