Northern Star Resources : 2017 Sustainability Report

Cover: Wiluna Martu Rangers Delston Ashwin and Ray Carbine conducting feral animal control on the Jundee Pastoral Station. Photograph by Evan Collis

Journey from Explorer to Sustainable Miner 1

Introduction 1

Company Strategy 1

STARR Core Values: It's what we stand for 2

Safety: It matters and starts with you 3

Performance 3

Programs & Leadership 3

Workforce Management 4

Training & Emergency Preparedness 4

Teamwork: Together we can 6

Our People, Our Culture 6

Workforce Profile 6

Diversity and Inclusion 6

Ethics 7

Health and Wellbeing 7

Accountability: The responsibility lies with you 9

Governance 9

Management Structure 9

Framework 10

Risk Management 10

Disclosure and External Engagement 10

Financial Management 11

Legal Compliance 11

Audit 11

Environment 12

Energy and Emissions 13

Water 13

Waste 14

Land & Biodiversity 14

Rehabilitation & Closure 15

Compliance 16

Respect: To get it, you must give it 17

Social Responsibility 17

Community Engagement 17

Community Investment 18

Indigenous Peoples 20

Socioeconomic Contribution 21

Local Procurement 21

Contractor Management Policy 22

Cultural Heritage 22

Ethics & Human Rights 23

Results: We deliver on our promises 24

Key Achievements in FY2017 24

Sustainability Report for the 2017 Financial Year Released to the ASX on 16 November 2017

Cover: Wiluna Martu Rangers Delston Ashwin and Ray Carbine conducting feral animal control on the Jundee Pastoral Station. Photograph by Evan Collis

Northern Star's journey as a gold producer began in 2010 with the acquisition of the Paulsens Gold Mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The Company quickly established a strong reputation for delivering value to Shareholders by turning a struggling asset with a very limited mine life into a significant cash generating business, lifting Northern Star into the ASX200 in November 2012.

In 2014, the Company went on the acquisition trail purchasing three assets from the majors, being the Plutonic Gold Mine, the Kalgoorlie Operations (Kanowna Belle and the East Kundana Joint Venture) and the Jundee Gold Mine. The Company quickly integrated these operations into the Northern Star family and set about extending the longevity of the operations, and providing security of employment for its much-expanded workforce.

Northern Star entered a joint venture arrangement in 2015 over a development project when it acquired a 25% interest in the Central Tanami Project in the Northern Territory. This joint venture remains in place and work is ongoing.

In 2016, Northern Star undertook a year of consolidation, focussing its efforts in and around its existing tenure and developing its concentrated centres strategy. It was during this period that it divested the Plutonic Gold Mine to a Canadian listed company enabling the future of that operation under new owners.

In August that year, Northern Star was elevated into the ASX100 and is now a global-scale Australian gold producer with world-class projects located in highly prospective and low sovereign risk regions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Northern Star continues to invest significant sums of money in exploration to extend the mine lives across its operations.

Northern Star is governed by the philosophy that people, not money, build companies. This approach has been the key to the Company's success, enabling it to grow from a corporate shell to the status it enjoys today. Northern Star now generates employment for more than 1,600 people. In turn, these people underpin our strong brand and culture.

Since becoming a producer in 2010, the Company has been constantly evolving and adapting to changing environments and is committed to being a long-term sustainable miner. As part of this process, the Company is pleased to release this Sustainability Report with the aim of adopting fully-integrated reporting for the FY2018 period.

Northern Star's strategy is to grow its business as a sustainable gold producer on the back of strong operational performance, significant investment in exploration and drilling to support mine-life extensions across the portfolio, and targeted acquisitions.

The Company is cognisant that it will not achieve this strategy without the right people in the business, and without embracing the needs of all other Stakeholders.

Our VISION is to continue to build a safe, quality mining and exploration company focussed on creating value for Shareholders.

Our MISSION is to generate earnings accretive value for our Shareholders through operational effectiveness, growth opportunities and exploration with a prime focus on success to deliver on our targets.

At Northern Star, our mantra is "we do what we say we will do".

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Northern Star has been built on strong STARR Core Values.

In 2012, these STARR Core Values were developed collaboratively by our people as the key values to live and work by. The STARR Core Values are the cornerstone of our culture at Northern Star, and are utilised in every decision and action we take. All employees and contractors are expected to embrace the STARR Core Values, and are encouraged to challenge behaviours which are inconsistent with these values.

Management is committed to operating at all levels in accordance with our Code of Conduct (NSR-COR-001-POL) and our STARR Core Values.

The Board believes that our STARR Core Values epitomise the Northern Star culture and represents the fundamental building blocks required to create and maintain a sustainable gold miner, and have therefore designed this inaugural Sustainability Report to align with our STARR framework.

This Report is prepared for the 2017 financial year, and should be read in conjunction with the Company's 2017 Annual Report

and Corporate Governance Statement.

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