Yesterday in our series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – Lance Worrall argued that sovereign capability is about a nation making things it needs, and policy with purpose. Today he identifies Australia’s priority sovereign capability sectors, and reveals where we are falling short. Over 30 years Australia overdosed on neoliberalism. The patient’s disorders include deindustrialisation…
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Just as this drove manufacturers to new heights during during the Covid-19 pandemic, the same urgency is needed today as the nation rebuilds sovereign capabilities. Today our editorial series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – looks at the fortunes, and future, of one manufacturing SME.…
In the first of two articles in our new series – Celebrating Australian Sovereign Capability – Lance Worrall argues that sovereign capability depends on Australia’s reindustrialisation and rediscovering the positive role of government in setting directions for inclusive growth. The phrase ‘sovereign capability’ re-entered our lexicon during the pandemic. Covid severely disrupted international supply chains,…
We have all heard the phrase – sovereign manufacturing capabilities. But what does it mean for Australia in the 21st century, what are they and how do we develop them? Here Peter Roberts sets the scene for our latest editorial series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability. It wasn’t too long ago that a new phrase…
Austin Engineering awarded $5 million for advanced manufacturing Perth mining equipment manufacturer Austin Engineering has been awarded a grant of up to $5 million from the WA government’s Investment Attraction Fund to boost advanced manufacturing capabilities at its Kewdale plant. The IAF seeks to bring investment, jobs and economic diversity to the state, increasing local…
Nova Systems marks 2,700 technical professionals receiving skills training Test and Evaluation (T&E) registered training organisation (RTO) Nova Systems announced on Tuesday that it had passed a milestone of more than 2,700 Australian technical professionals having made it through the company’s short training courses. According to the company, the milestone is “yet another example of…
The University of Melbourne’s SpIRIT spacecraft has been booked with launch service provider ISISPACE to blast off on the Falcon 9 Transporter 8 rocket in April 2023. The spacecraft will operate in orbit for two years demonstrating the long-term performance of Australian-made space technology. Designed and built by a consortium led by the Melbourne Space…
Magnesium refinery plan for Collie Perth’s South West Development Commission has progressed a bid to establish a ‘game-changing carbon neutral magnesium refinery’ at the coal mining city of Collie in Western Australia. With the nearby state-owned Muja and Collie power stations to be retired in response to massive uptake of renewables, a pre-feasibility study has…
Aboriginal business forum kicks off in WA The Mid-West of Western Australia’s first-ever Aboriginal Business Forum kicked off this week to harness opportunities and celebrate recent successes. State government ministers launched the Geraldton event, and more than 200 people from local aboriginal businesses, state agency buyers, head contractors and local industry attended. The event supports…
Australian defence contractor Nova Systems led a meeting of defence SMEs at the recent Indo Pacific Maritime exposition, to discuss defence industry policy. Here, Rebecca Humble argues that policy settings are not succeeding in growing small SMEs into larger ones, and larger ones to the scale where they can compete against foreign companies and bid…
