By Peter Roberts The federal government has refunded the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), bodies they tried to abolish years ago, but there is a fossil fuel sting in the tail. The two bodies will receive total funding of $1.9 billion past 2020, with ARENA receiving the majority –…
Namoi Cotton has signed new agreements with global processing and marketing group Louis Dreyfus that will replace their existing joint venture and see Namoi refocus its activities on cotton ginning and marketing. The companies have agreed to establish two new joint ventures which together reduce Namoi’s exposure to cotton lint trading and associated debt. The…
Hydrogen produced from renewable energy is coming to the fore just as the world exits an epoch when extraction and exploitation give way to a more benign future of synthesis, argues Stan Thompson. This change has major implications for an extractive economy such as Australia’s. It is hardest to see a profound transition when you’re…
The Victorian Government has ordered an additional 18 VLocity regional trains (pictured) building on an impressive record of encouraging local rail manufacturing. Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll said the latest order of regional trains was now under construction at Dandenong-based manufacturer Bombardier. With an investment of $340 million in the Victorian Budget 2019/20, this…
3ME Technology has positioned itself as a veteran run manufacturer supplying advanced battery technologies for mining, military and marine systems, as this case study explains. Justin Bain, former Army Signals Officer and now CEO and part owner of 3ME Technology was recruited to accelerate the commercialisation of the company’s battery vehicle systems for the mining…
Comment by Peter Roberts Steel is the second-most produced industrial commodity after cement, and like cement is a major contributor to global emissions of carbon dioxide that are causing possibly irreversible changes to the climate. With steel contributing up to nine per cent of total global emissions, both Liberty Primary Steel and Mining Australia and…
COVID-19 clusters have appeared in abattoirs but the same can’t be said for other food manufacturers – the National Food Institute explains. Over 2020 we’ve seen many industries affected by COVID-19. With the infectious nature of COVID-19, it has left many Australians concerned about how safe their food is. One sub-sector that’s received a lot…
First section of Inland Rail completed The completion of the first section of the Inland Rail linking Melbourne and Brisbane was marked with a ceremony at Peak Hill. The 100-kilometre Parkes to Narromione section in Central West NSW will be followed by construction between Narrabri and North Star which will begin later this year. Steel,…
Peak design and industry body the Australian Design Council was re-established today with the support of high profile business men and women. The re-established Australian Design Council brings together the nation’s top captains of industry, innovators, entrepreneurs and thinkers to reshape the nation post-COVID-19. Championing design to reinvent and kickstart Australia’s economy in a post-COVID-19…
Melbourne manufacturer Ronson Gears has signed five contracts with defence and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin that will see it become the first Australian company to supply precision gear components to be launched into space. The contracts, signed under a Global Supply Chain Programme associated with defence sales to Australia, is for gears for the common…