Most junior miners use an external CoSec. GroundOne is not a replacement. It's the operating system that makes them more effective — and ensures the company doesn't lose its compliance memory when they move on.
| Capability | External CoSec | Spreadsheets | GroundOne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodges ASIC forms & ASX announcements | ✓ Core service | ✗ Not applicable | Not a lodgement agent |
| Attends board meetings & takes minutes | ✓ Core service | ✗ Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Tracks all ASX compliance deadlines year-round | Lodgements in scope only | Manual calendar | ✓ Always-on calendar |
| Institutional memory survives personnel change | Leaves with the person | ✗ No | ✓ Permanent record |
| Available 24/7 to check obligation status | Billable hours | Manual search | ✓ Always accessible |
| Manages tenement renewals & conditions | Typically out of scope | Spreadsheet | ✓ Integrated register |
| Board pack from live registers | Hours of manual work | 3+ hours manual | ✓ 30 seconds |
| Risk register & risk reporting | Typically out of scope | Spreadsheet | ✓ Included |
| Approvals workflow management | Typically out of scope | Ad hoc tracking | ✓ Included |
| Annual cost indication | $30K–$120K | Free (sunk time) | ✓ Fit-for-purpose |
Junior miners almost universally use external Company Secretaries. It's a rational decision — you get qualified, experienced CoSec support for a fraction of the cost of a full-time hire. External CoSecs are good at what they do.
The problem is structural. An external CoSec typically covers the lodgements they're engaged to make: annual returns, quarterly activities reports, change of director notifications, notice of meetings. Everything else — the ASX obligations between lodgements, the tenement renewals, the risk register, the approvals tracking, the continuous disclosure triggers — falls back to the company.
And when the external CoSec relationship ends, or the firm changes personnel, the institutional knowledge walks out the door. The new CoSec gets a bundle of past lodgements and a phone call. They don't get the internal compliance context.
GroundOne is the system that holds that context. The compliance calendar with ownership and evidence. The tenement register with renewal dates and conditions. The risk register with current ratings. When the CoSec needs to understand where the company stands, they open GroundOne.
Most of our customers use GroundOne alongside an external CoSec. The CoSec handles what CoSecs are good at: lodgements, meeting mechanics, ASIC correspondence. GroundOne handles everything between those moments: the continuous compliance, the governance registers, the board reporting infrastructure, the risk and approvals tracking. Together, it's a complete governance model for a junior miner.
The governance memory that survives people leaving, firms changing, and companies growing.