Prime Minister Scott Morrison talks of ‘can-do capitalism’ and last week offered a $2 billion sweetener to industrial research, while others talk of a ‘do-nothing government’. Here Lance Worrall looks at the policy changes forced on the nation by a pandemic, and what it means for a new industrial policy as not just sectoral support,…
Applications open for Securing Raw Materials Program (SRMP). Round two of the federal government’s Securing Raw Materials Program (SRMP) will invest $29 million into businesses looking to undertake R&D on locally sourced raw material supplies. The government is anticipating applications from manufacturing businesses looking to innovate with Australian materials, importantly through linking with public sector…
Space services company Skykraft and composite materials manufacturer XTEK Limited have successfully completed the mechanical and vibration testing of a 500kg Payload Launch Stack which housed 24 representative Skykraft developed small satellites. Funded by a grant from the Australian Space Agency the stack is capable of supporting and deploying 24 small satellites and was tested…
Electro Optic Systems’ record deliveries Defence, space and communications manufacturer Electro Optic Systems delivered a record number of its key products – remote weapons systems and satellite terminals – in the December quarter. The Canberra company expects orders delayed during the Covbid-19 pandemic to be let over the next year and has been investing in…
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) has announced it will invest $255 million in infrastructure supporting the proposed $4.3 billion Perdaman Urea Project at Karratha in Western Australia. The investment in the form of loans will upgrade common-user infrastructure that will support the project, which will convert liquefied natural gas into about two million tonnes…
Australian wine exports dropped 30 per cent in value to $2.03 billion and in volume by 17 per cent to 619 million litres in the year ended December 2021, according to Wine Australia’s latest Export Report. The decline reflects tough market conditions with deposit tariffs imposed on bottled Australian wine imported to China, the impact…
The federal government has revealed there is still scope for food and beverage manufacturers to apply for grants of up to $25,000 each to save money on energy bills, improve energy efficiency and adopt new energy technologies under the latest $19.9 million round of the Energy Efficient Communities (EEC) program. The grants can be used…
Airservices Australia and space services company, Skykraft have partnered in the development of a space-based communication and surveillance air traffic management capability. Under the collaboration, Airservices will share its air navigation, technical engineering and air traffic management expertise to support design, development, and validation of the system, as well as support Skykraft to conduct space-based…
A claimed Australian-first launch took place north-east of Esperance, Western Australia on Thursday, with a remote telco tower powered by a standalone power system (SAPS) delivered by Horizon Power and Boundary Power.
The $2 billion the federal government will inject to align university research commercialisation with its hand-picked manufacturing priorities will be stretched across the next 11 years.
