With the federal opposition opposing the government’s proposed $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund that was endorsed by voters at the recent election, the views of cross-benchers have become critical. In a speech to Parliament the independent member for Warringah Zali Steggall outlinesd her concerns about the bill establishing the fund, at the same time strongly…
By Peter Roberts Opal Australian Paper has made its last ream of its popular Reflex brand copy paper with the formal announcement of the permanent closure of the company’s Maryvale mill in Victoria. Making good on warnings made last month, the company conceded it had not been able to solve the issue of a supply…
Rux Energy wants to be the first in the world to increase hydrogen storage density with novel molecular sponges. Brent Balinski speaks to founder and CEO Dr Jehan Kanga. Metal organic frameworks have only really been studied since 1999, says Dr Jehan Kanga (pictured), who studied a PhD on these nanoporous materials and is now…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) “DEVELOPING ADVANCED MANUFACTURING IN AUSTRALIA” INQUIRY UNDERWAY A federal parliamentary inquiry into manufacturing has begun its work, and is accepting written submissions until the end of next month. The “Developing Advanced Manufacturing in Australia” inquiry by the House…
Charles Darwin University and others have developed a new Diploma of Advanced Manufacturing, designed to increase the availability of Industry 4.0 skills for the Northern Territory’s manufacturers. The new course was developed by CDU’s North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems (NACAS) in partnership with RMIT University, the federal department of education, and the territory’s government.…
Engineer registration is something new in Australia other than in Queensland, but now other state’s are following suit. Here, Paul van de Loo asks whether Australian engineers are ready for a scheme which they did not ask for and do not need. If you’re a typical engineer you’re pretty focussed on your engineering, and you…
This week Quantum Brilliance announced a $26 million funding round, a significant boost to its lofty ambitions. Brent Balinski spoke to co-founder Dr Andrew Horsley about bringing Australian-made room-temperature quantum accelerators to the masses. Among people who care about such things, Intel’s examination of Australia as a possible home for a fabrication site in the…
Swinburne to get $5.2 million green energy research hub A new $5.2 million Siemens Swinburne Energy Transition Hub will be opened at Swinburne University of Technology’s Hawthorn campus this year. According to a statement from the university on Thursday, the hub will feature some of the most advanced digital energy technology from Siemens and the…
By Peter Roberts The green industry dam is burst – after years if not decades of talk that Australia’s minerals will one day have to go green to survive in a world where trade favours green production, Australian company Rio has received its first big international green order. Aluminium producer Rio Tinto has been contracted…
Industrial technology company Calix has been awarded a grant of $8.73 million (UK 5 million pounds) by government funder Innovate UK to demonstrate a low-cost route to decarbonise. Calix subsidiary Leilac, which is commercialising Calix’s novel kiln technology to decarbonise cement and lime production, won the grant in a project led by Windship Technology Ltd.…
