Comment by Peter Roberts A DART rocket just launched from Koonibba Rocket Range in South Australia carrying a Defence satellite marked a return to the days in the 1960s when Australia was a nation capable of launching a payload from its own shores. At just 3.4 metres long and weighing 34 kilograms, the DART rocket…
Thales welcomes changes to defence capability scheme Thales Australia has welcomed what it calls the strengthening of Defence’s Australian Industry Capability Programme and the review of Australian Standard for Defence Contracting. The company, which spent $522 million with Australian firms in 2019, said there was strong evidence in support of the Government’s policy of requiring…
The federal government has handed over a new Guardian-class Patrol Boat to the Republic of Palau as part of Australia’s engagement with neighbouring Pacific Island nations. The vessel, PSS President HI Remeliik II, was received by Palauan Commanding Officer Lieutenant Commander Emerson Nobuo at a COVID-safe ceremony in Henderson, Western Australia where the ship was…
PMB Defence (PMB) has won a contract to supply submarine batteries to the Canadian Government for its Victoria Class submarines. The Adelaide manufacturer, formerly known as Pacific Marine Batteries, will manufacture the lead-acid battery systems at its state-of-the art production, research and development and engineering facilities adjacent to the Osborne Naval Shipyard. Built in 2020,…
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…
