What it does: Mining
Mission: Our vision is to be a brilliant, global mining company that grows sustainably and creates enduring, positive impacts
Size and presence: Around 600
Best known for: St Barbara Limited conducts minerals exploration and mining operations, including the mining and sale of gold, in the Australia/Pacific region
The good bits: Improvement driven site open to innovation & supportive of practical trials
The not so good bits: Ambitious annual targets, high demand on staff to deliver in a high pressure environment
Initially, St Barbara focused its activity on mineral exploration, with gold production becoming the focus in the early 2000s from operations in Meekatharra in Western Australia. In July 2004, along with a change in management, St Barbara broadened its activity to include gold production and exploration.
In March 2005, St Barbara acquired the Southern Cross, Leonora and South Laverton gold assets in Western Australia from the administrators of Sons of Gwalia Limited. The South Laverton and Meekatharra assets were sold just over a year later.
St Barbara commissioned its new, high-grade Gwalia gold mine at Leonora in October 2008, with its King of the Hills mine commissioned in mid 2011 to provide additional feed to the Gwalia mill. King of the Hills operated from June 2011 to April 2015, producing more than 225,000 ounces of gold. It was subsequently sold in 2015 to Saracen Metals Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saracen Mineral Holdings Ltd.
In September 2012, St Barbara expanded into Papua New Guinea, with the acquisition of Allied Gold Mining Plc. This added gold operations at Simberi, Papua New Guinea and Gold Ridge in the Solomon Islands to St Barbara’s portfolio.
In December 2012, St Barbara’s Southern Cross Operation ceased operations. It was sold in April 2013 to Hanking Gold Mining Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of China Hanking Holdings Limited.
In the Solomon Islands, torrential rain and flooding led to the suspension of operations at Gold Ridge in April 2014. Force majeure notices were issued under certain mining and supply agreements when it became clear that production could not be resumed due to factors outside the operator’s control. The Gold Ridge Project was sold to a Solomon Islands company associated with local landowners in May 2015.
More recently, in July 2019, St Barbara acquired Atlantic Gold Corporation and its operations in Nova Scotia, Canada, broadening its global reach across three countries.
We have a values-led, caring culture at St Barbara. Our values are so much more than words on a page.
We live and breathe our values. We: act with honesty and integrity; treat people with respect; value working together; deliver to promise; and strive to do better. Our focus on safety guides everything we do and we look out for one another. Doing the right thing is genuinely important to all of us.
We have a welcoming and inclusive culture. Our people are trustworthy, highly capable, driven and caring. We encourage our people to be bold in their thinking, driven in their approach and always looking at new and better ways of doing things. We welcome diversity in all its forms, because we know it leads to better outcomes, every time.
At St Barbara, we support our people to be at their best, and we also want what’s best for them.
Mining Engineer salaries at St Barbara Limited can range from $1,53,168-$1,64,800
Growing our business sustainably, where it makes sense, and with strong governance practices, means we can add value for everyone: our shareholders, our people and our communities.
We operate with the strongest of ethics and governance in everything we do. The Board and Management of the Group are committed to maintaining high standards of ethics, integrity and statutory compliance. The Group has consistently achieved 100% compliance with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) ‘Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations’.
You can read more on our Governance page.
Exploration at St Barbara is coordinated globally, with exploration activities conducted near to and surrounding each of our existing operations. Drilling is undertaken in Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea. The aim is twofold: to maintain and extend life of mine at each existing operation, and to provide future growth opportunities.