By Shannon Pearce Researchers from the University of Adelaide have found new species of lactic acid bacteria on Kangaroo Island that could be used in the fermentation of wine, ciders and sour beers. The team discovered five new species in samples taken from insects, including meat ants and cockroaches, and flowers around KI bee hives…
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Australian Space Industry Capability Database to be launched The Space Industry Association of Australia has announced the Australian Space Industry Capability Database will launch to all users from mid-July 2023. The database will provide interactive data visualisations that demonstrate the scale and capability of the Australian space sector, including capability data, workforce data and detailed…
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Hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear can move ahead with its purchase of competitor Oticon Medical’s cochlear implant following a positive finding from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). However Cochlear will not be able to purchase the entire Oticon business as it initially hoped. CMA published its final report on the proposed acquisition, concluding that…
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Miner and manufacturer Vecco Group has officially opened its Townsville facilty to manufacture electrolyte for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) was on hand for the opening and went on social media to call it a ‘big win for Queensland’. Palaszczuk said: “We officially opened Vecco Group’s Vanadium Battery Manufacturing Facility,…
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Perth shipbuilder Austal has delivered the fifth of eight Evolved cape class patrol boats (ECCPB’s) on order for the Royal Australian Navy. ADV Cape Woolamai (pictured) built at the Henderson shipyard in Perth was officially accepted by the Commonwealth on Thursday. Austal Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said the delivery demonstrated the shipyard’s capacity, capability,…
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The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will invest $30 million to support development of a domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry based on conversion of agricultural feedstocks. Announcing the programme the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said that a homegrown SAF industry could help decarbonise the hard-to-abate aviation sector and create thousands…
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Rebecca Andrews will begin as CEO of Manufacturing Skills Queensland next month. According to a statement from the Queensland government on Thursday, MSQ will play a “role in identifying the training and skills required by manufacturers and employees” and that Andrew “will lead the organisation in building skills and capability to support the future of…
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By Peter Roberts The Clean Energy Finance Corporation – which styles itself as Australia’s green bank – is to receive $20.5 billion in new capital from the federal government to accelerate progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. This acknowledgement of the success of the CEFC model comes as the corporation survived efforts to abolish…
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Century-plus-year-old chocolate company Ernest Hillier has gone bust for the second time in a decade, with WLP Restructuring Partners announcing on Wednesday that they had been appointed as voluntary administrators. WLP are administrators to Chocolate & Confectionery Company and the related entity that own and make Ernest Hillier, a brand that dates back to 1914. …
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Sugar producer Wilmar Sugar has built its own locomotive to haul cane from the fields to the refinery – the first sugar locomotive built from the ground up by a milling company in more than 140 years. The 26 tonne locomotive, named Brisbane (pictured), is about to start its maiden season, and is the first…
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