• Katanning Gold Project selected for Western Australia's Priority Approvals Program
• Environmental referral lodged with WA's Environmental Protection Authority
• Federal government assessment process progressing with 'Assessment on Preliminary Documentation'

Ausgold Limited (ASX: AUC) has announced that its 100%-owned Katanning Gold Project (KGP) in south-west Western Australia has been selected to enter the Priority Approvals Program led by the Government of Western Australia's Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER). The program aims to facilitate parallel processing of approvals through different state agencies, with an appointed senior Case Manager as a single point of contact. The KGP was selected for the program due to its location on predominantly cleared, freehold land, relatively low technical risk, and significant potential to enhance and diversify the Great Southern economy. Ausgold has this week lodged a Section 38 Environmental Protection Act referral for the KGP with Western Australia's Environmental Protection Authority, a key approval required for the project's development. At the federal level, the KGP is being assessed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) at a level of 'Assessment on Preliminary Documentation', which is consistent with a proposal having medium or short-term, or recoverable impacts. DCCEEW has requested further fauna survey work, which Ausgold is currently undertaking. Ausgold's General Manager Permitting and Approvals, Troy Collie, stated that the company is extremely pleased to have been invited into WA's Priority Approvals Program, which, together with progress at the federal level, supports Ausgold's goal of making a Final Investment Decision in the June quarter of 2026.

The company is aiming to make a Final Investment Decision on the Katanning Gold Project in the June quarter of 2026.