By Peter Layton, Griffith University Australia’s naval surface combatant fleet is in trouble. The eight Anzac frigates are worn out after three decades of Middle Eastern adventures and hard to crew. The Anzac’s replacements, the much-criticised Hunter Class frigates, are late – the first will not enter service until 2032 or so. The project’s cost…
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The Queensland government has launched a new plan to deliver hundreds of locally made zero emission buses through direct government procurement. The new zero-emission buses will replace aging diesel buses in operation on the Translink network, with more than 400 buses locally manufactured, dependent on a competitive procurement process. The commitment builds on the Government’s…
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Defence companies have quickly moved to welcome federal government plans for an enlarged Royal Australian Navy surface fleet at a cost of $11.1 billion over 10 years. Raytheon Australia Managing Director Michael Ward said the planned fleet wiould provide Australia with a much more potent naval capability encompassing significantly enhanced vertically launched strike and air…
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By Peter Roberts It is amazing what a little cold hard cash – an extra $11 billion bringing the total to $38 billion over 10 years to be exact – can do. The federal government has tried to work wonders by piling the cash into the defence budget to achieve three of what seemed like…
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a2 Milk Company grows despite decline in China market The a2 Milk Company, which pioneered the use of a2 proteins in milk as a healthy alternative, has reported positive results for 1H24. Revenue was up 3.7 percent to $812.1 million and EBITDA profit up five percent to $113.2 million despite a double-digit decline in the…
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The federal government has committed an extra $11.1 billion over the next decade in its announcement on the future surface combatant fleet, in response to an independent analysis finding “in excess of $25 billion in unfunded promises” and following last year’s Defence Strategic Review. There will now be six Hunter Class Frigates, down from nine,…
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The federal government has announced $50 million from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to assist development and commercialisation of an Australian inventor’s total artificial heart, which uses a rotor rather than pulsation to move blood through a patient’s body. According to a statement on Tuesday from federal health minister Mark Butler, the grant to…
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Prebricated building solutions business PARKD has announced that it will proceed with Stage 2 of its design and construction contract with John Hughes Automotive Group, for a multi-level car storage facility supporting a VW service centre in Victoria Park, Perth. According to a statement on Tuesday from the ASX-listed PARKD, Stage 2 services involve “supply,…
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By Mohan Yellishetty, Monash University Australia’s nickel industry has been granted access to billions of dollars in federal funding as well as relief from royalty payments after a collapse in the global price of nickel that threatens thousands of jobs. On Thursday BHP wrote down the value of its West Australian nickel division Nickel West…
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Seven Group Holdings (SGH) has made a $1.2 billion offer to move to full ownership of building products group Boral, adding to the Perth company’s diverse group of media and industrial companies. SGH currently holds 71.6 percent of Boral, with the offer pitched at 0.1116 SGH shares and $1.50 cash per Boral share – an…
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