The federal government and rail industry stakeholders have signed an agreement to standardise rail systems and bring Australia’s rail network into the 21st century. The Australian and Victorian governments and the Australasian Railway Association on behalf of rail industry leaders signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to make rail more competitive and interoperable across Australia. The…
Australia lacks the hydrogen skills and training capabilities it needs to achieve its newly-legislated carbon reduction targets, according to new research by Swinburne University of Technology’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub (VH2). Over the long term, delivering education and training through registered organisations can protect workers transitioning into the hydrogen economy from being locked out of the…
Apprentice numbers on the rise The latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show there were 402,245 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 30 September 2022, 14 per cent higher than at the same time in 2021. The figures, in the report Apprentices and trainees 2022: September quarter, also show apprentice…
By Sam John, The University of Melbourne Since it was founded in 2016, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface (BCI) company Neuralink has had its moments in biotech news. Whether it was the time Musk promised his “link” would let people communicate telepathically, or when the whole company was under investigation for potentially violating the Animal Welfare…
Precision fermentation company Cauldron has announced $10.5 million in funding, which it says is one of the largest seed rounds by an Australian company with a female founder. Cauldron currently runs a pilot-scale plant at Orange, and says the new capital will support increased production there and plans to operate “Asia-Pacific’s largest network of precision…
Australian solar PV panel manufacturer Tindo Solar is exporting to Vietnam as the Southeast Asian nation signals it will prioritise high-quality renewables hardware in its energy system. The Adelaide manufacturer finalised an initial order for rooftop panels last week, bound for the residential and commercial market of Ho Chi Minh City. The 410w panels come…
Additive manufacturing technology company Titomic has successfully installed a first of type glass mould coating system to Austrian manufacturer Vetropack. The system, which was developed in collaboration with glass research organisation, the International Partners in Glass Research (IPGR), scans the moulds and, using AI software, produces a robotic programme to automatically coat and repair moulds.…
The thaw in China Australia’s trade relationships is continuing with Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Assistant Minister for Trade Senator Tim Ayres among a group of Australian ministers attending a high-level meeting in China this week. Only the second minister to visit China since the election – following the visit by Foreign Minister Penny Wong…
As our Celebrating Australian sovereign capability editorial series comes to a close, Graeme Sheather looks at the big picture, where we stand today and the challenges and solutions ahead. A new global order is emerging and it is imperative that Australian manufacturing businesses and government get their act together to create advanced high-tech products and…
By Andre Saraiva Once I heard of the death of Dr Gordon Moore (right), one of the founders of Intel, I immediately went back to read his famous 1965 article written for Electronics. I remembered the first time I read this article and how it felt like it was written by a time traveller. Firstly because…