Ten contracts worth $23 million awarded through Defence Innovation Hub
Ten companies have been awarded a total of $23 million in contracts through the Defence Innovation Hub, with the largest going to precision metal engineering company A.W. Bell.
Ukraine creates perfect conditions to prove XTEK composites
By Peter Roberts I was touring the Adelaide factory and R&D centre of ballistic armour manufacturer Xtek yesterday when news came through that it had received an urgent order for ballistic armour for $2.15 million – its third from unnamed international customers within a month. Xtek’s order takes total sales over the past 30 days…
Canberra’s $1.25 billion backing for rare earths production
By Peter Roberts The federal government has made an unprecedented intervention in private business funding with the approval of a $1.25 billion loan through the Critical Minerals Facility to Australian company Iluka Resources. The massive loan – picking winners on a grand scale – will fund the development of Australis’s first integrated rare earths refinery…
XTEK receives third urgent order for armour in 30 days, citing “heightened global security environment”
XTEK has received a third urgent order for ballistic armour from an unnamed international customer within a month, announcing a $2.15 million order on Monday.
Australia plans to be a big green hydrogen exporter to Asian markets – but they don’t need it
The government aims to create a major green hydrogen export industry, particularly to Japan, for which Australia signed an export deal in January. But as our latest research suggests, the likely scale may well be overstated. We show Japan has more than enough solar and wind energy to be self-sufficient in energy, and does not need to import either fossil fuels or Australian green hydrogen. Indeed, Australia as a “renewable energy superpower” is far from a sure thing.
Today’s federal government cash for industry – $41m for Varley
By Peter Roberts The federal government has continued its all but daily announcements of new defence contracts and grants to manufacturers with the news today that Tomago, NSW engineering group Varley will receive a $41 million contract for deployable military infrastructure. According to a statement from defence minister Peter Dutton: “The contract is part of…
Canberra data centre manufacturer earns $12 million Defence contract
Canberra-based modular data centre maker Datapod has been awarded a $12 million order from the federal government, described as a boost for the nation’s sovereign industrial capability.
Let’s not waste this emergency – secure our critical mineral supply chains
By Peter Roberts If covid-19 has taught us anything it is that Australia needs to be more self sufficient in what we manufacture onshore and depend less on globalised supply chains that are easily interrupted by accident or design. For advanced nations there is a range of rare earths that are essential to high tech…
Calix and Pilbara Minerals to form lithium JV
Industrial process technology company Calix and Pilbara Minerals will establish a joint venture to potentially develop a demonstration plant to produce lithium phosphate salt to supply battery chemicals manufacturing. This follows positive results from their joint scoping study for a lithium salt production facility using Calix technology at Pilbara’s existing spodumene concentrate plant (pictured) at…
Australian Bushmasters bound for Ukraine
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has agreed to send Australian-made Bushmaster vehicles to Ukraine, after a plea from the nation’s wartime President. Earlier Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a speech to federal parliament calling for Australia to send the country weapons systems including the Bushmaster. Speaking through an interpreter the khaki-clad president said some of…