Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Jaclyn Symes, has released the Victorian Critical Minerals Roadmap Update 2026, as Southern Cross Gold marks a major milestone at its Sunday Creek exploration project.
The opening of Sunday Creek’s new exploration decline is the project’s first major step towards establishing a new antimony and gold mine, allowing underground drilling to test the feasibility of mining the resource, said Minister Symes.
The project already employs around 100 people and, if progressed, is expected to support 500 ongoing local jobs. The Minister says the project could contribute more than $5.5 billion to Victoria’s economy over its first decade.
“Victoria has the critical minerals the world needs – and that means a huge opportunity for new investment, new industries and thousands of jobs,” she said.
“We’re backing exploration to find the next generation of critical mineral projects and make sure Victoria gets the jobs and economic benefits that come with them.
“Sunday Creek shows what’s possible – a project that could support hundreds of local jobs and deliver billions of dollars for Victoria.”
The Minister said fully developed critical minerals sector could create more than 7,000 jobs across Victoria over the next decade, with major opportunities for regional communities.
The updated Roadmap sets out what comes next – finding new critical mineral opportunities, getting more projects moving and capturing more of their value in Victoria.
Over the next 12 months, new geological mapping and exploration data will help identify the next generation of projects and give investors better information about where to invest, said Ms Symes.
She said Victoria has significant deposits of antimony, rare earths, zircon and titanium – critical minerals used in renewable energy, batteries and advanced manufacturing.
The 28-page updated road map is available to view here.
