The Ballarat Gold Mine has announced a community support fund to help charities and not-for-profit organisations.
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In a statement, a spokesperson said grants of $1000 through the Good Neighbour Support Program will be available to successful applicants, who would be assessed by a small team at the gold mine.
Projects that "provide benefits to the communities" and "promote and contribute" to skills and awareness would be the priorities, in areas like community education, protecting natural sources and living sustainably, health and fitness, and arts and culture.
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Owned by LionGold, headquartered in Singapore, the gold mine has run community benefit programs before, but on a more "ad hoc basis" - support funds like this help maintain the "social licence to operate", the website notes.
"We have decided to run a more structured program this year," the spokesperson said.
"The timing is based on our capacity to deliver this program as we have only recently formally appointed someone to this role."
They added there would be some projects the fund would not support, like commercial entities, projects exclusively funded by governments, political campaigns or religious organisations, or activities that "provide a direct financial benefit to Ballarat Gold Mine employees or contractors".
There is no total amount of spending determined yet, but the mine "will respond depending on the number and nature of the requests".
"The timing of future rounds has not yet been set but may be influenced by the level of interest in this round," the spokesperson said
Ballarat Gold Mine's representative of the board, Mike Gu said in a statement he saw the company as part of the community.
"We ... hope this funding program can provide some help for those volunteer organisations that work tirelessly to support the less fortunate in our community and other great causes," he said.
Mine operations have continued through the coronavirus pandemic, with extra safety measures in place, including temperature checks, more handwashing stations, and working from home where possible, particularly for Melbourne-based workers.
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The mine has increased exploration expenditure after a change in ownership, with a 50 per cent increase in underground drilling and adding two new rigs to the fleet.
To apply for the Good Neighbour Support Program, or to find out more, visit the Ballarat Gold Mine website.
Applications close August 7.
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