New procurement rules are great news – by Shane West

New federal government procurement rules announced on Friday have doubled the share of $70 billion in annual spending open to Australia’s SMEs. But as Shane West argues here, they also open up the possibility of other benefits to the economy and environment. The revised Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) now requiring that procuring officials consider a…

Stralis Aircraft plans hydrogen powered aircraft

Aircraft engineering firm Stralis Aircraft and Queensland regional airline Skytrans Airlines will develop and trial Australia’s first zero-emissions hydrogen electric propulsion aircraft, based on a Beech 1900D airframe. Announced at the Regional Aviation Association of Australia Roadshow in Darwin, Stralis will design, build and flight test an integrated Hydrogen Electric Propulsion System (HEPS) centred around…

Pure Battery Technologies gains European backer

Battery cathode materials producer Pure Battery Technologies has secured Europe’s biggest cleantech investor EIT Innoenergy as an investor, with the new backing to expand PBT’s European production and further develop plans for a materials hub in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The Brisbane company has an existing refinery in Hagen, Germany and is developing a cathode active…

Quickstep and Nexport join in SoMAC CRC

Advanced composites manufacturer Quickstep and low emissions transport developer Nexport have been revealed as key backers of the recently announced Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites Cooperative Research Centre (SoMAC CRC) The University of New South Wales led collaboration with other universities and research organisations, together with industry was confirmed in the dying days of the…