Whether we carve out an exemption or not, Trump’s latest tariffs will still hit Australia

By Scott French, UNSW Sydney US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have stated an exemption for Australia from Trump’s executive order placing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imported into the US is “under consideration”. But prospects remain uncertain. Albanese would do well to secure an exemption using similar arguments as…

Hysata and Saudi power company sign agreement on commercial-scale electrolyser demos

Electrolyser maker Hysata has announced an agreement with ACWA Power for commercial-scale demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, which the Wollongong-headquartered company says represent a first step towards large-scale systems being deployed in ACWA’s projects. In a statement on Monday (Australian time), Hysata said the agreement will make use of ACWA’s “significant expertise in large capital projects”,…

Craft beer helps sustain brewing revenue growth as Australians drink less

The segment of manufacturing concerning beer is worth $8.7 billion and grew 0.9 per cent annually between 2020 and 2025, according to newly-published market research. IBISWorld’s recently-updated Beer Manufacturing in Australia – Market Research Report (2015-2030) describes the level of competition as high and increasing. The total number of beer makers has increased at nearly…

Breakthrough Victoria appoints new CEO

State government-backed venture fund Breakthrough Victoria has announced Rod Bristow (pictured) as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing inaugural CEO Grant Dooley. In a statement on Monday, BV said Bristow came with over 30 years’ experience in the “stockbroking, asset management, wealth  management, agribusiness and not-for-profit sectors”, and was most recently CEO of Sydney and…

‘America First’ trade policy is pushing economic self-sufficiency – but history shows this is harder than it seems

By Garritt C. Van Dyk, University of Waikato The day he took office for his second term, United States President Donald J. Trump unveiled his “America First” trade policy, including tariffs on imported goods from Mexico, Canada (both of which have since been paused) and China. President Trump’s reasoning for the tariffs included revitalising the…