Tesla eyes Adelaide for battery factory
Tesla is considering building a factory to repurpose its batteries in Adelaide, however, it needs the local council to first fix the contaminated site.
New report urges stronger food security preparedness
A Green Paper released on Monday calls for Australia to prioritise food security with the same urgency as national security amid growing global instability. The report, authored by Andrew Henderson and John Coyne, warns that Australia’s agriculture sector faces significant challenges from geopolitical tensions, climate change, water security issues and rapid technological advances. Despite Australia…
Scientists create ‘pain-on-a-chip’ device to identify chronic pain types
Telling your doctor exactly how much something hurts has always been a challenge but Monash University researchers have developed a clever solution that could take the guesswork out of pain diagnosis. On Sunday, scientists revealed a new microfluidic device nicknamed “pain-on-a-chip” that can objectively distinguish between different types of chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia and…
Lack of local production leaves Australia sensitive to urea price shocks
Australia produces only small amounts of a key fertiliser type and as a result is particularly vulnerable to global shocks, according to new research. Agribusiness banking and financial services company Rabobank’s What tight urea supplies mean for global prices and Australian farmers has found that supplies of the most traded fertiliser type in the world…
Aussie quantum firm Diraq snags US defence contract
An Australian quantum computing company has joined forces with international partners to take on an ambitious challenge from the US military’s research agency. Sydney-based Diraq announced on Thursday it secured a contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to participate in a program aiming to build a useful quantum computer by 2033. The…
Free TAFE courses launched to boost Australia’s manufacturing workforce
The Albanese and Minns Labor governments announced on Friday four new Free TAFE courses designed to strengthen Australia’s manufacturing sector by upskilling workers and creating new employment pathways. The courses will be offered through the TAFE NSW Manufacturing Centres of Excellence, established last year with $157.2 million in matched funding from the Commonwealth and NSW…
The NSW Innovation Blueprint 2035: What does it actually deliver?
By Dr John H Howard The NSW Innovation Blueprint 2035 provides a valuable strategic foundation for positioning innovation at the heart of the state’s economic and social missions, including housing, clean energy, and advanced industries. It affirms a clear role for government in coordination, investment, and vision-setting and maps a range of early-stage initiatives with…
Remanufacturer takes the waste out of hospitals
With only a month until we unveil Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers and the category award winners, we look at Trans-Tasman medical products remanufacturer Medsalv, a finalist for 2025. Brent Balinski speaks to founder and CEO, Oliver Hunt. In a family with more than its fair share of medical professionals, Oliver Hunt agrees that his…
Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, March 31 – April 4, 2025
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) Liquid catalyst breakthrough speeds up chemical manufacturing A major breakthrough in liquid catalysis is transforming how essential products are made, making the chemical manufacturing process faster, safer and more sustainable than ever before. Researchers from Monash University, the University of Sydney,…
Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed
NSW government’s $2.5 million critical minerals co-investment fund The NSW government has launched a new $2.5 million co-investment seed funding program, which it says will “unearth the state’s next major critical minerals projects.” The new Critical Minerals Exploration Program requires a 50 per cent co-investment from successful applicants and will encourage more exploration in NSW,…