Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% – turbocharging our national innovation effort – innovation policy analyst Dr John Howard shines light on why Australian R&D is going backwards. In this, the second part of a two-part series, Dr Howard discusses the reasons behind the fall in R&D spending, pointing the finger at a…
By Andreas Helwig, University of Southern Queensland Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. But while the steam engine has been superseded by internal combustion engines and now electric motors, the modern world still…
The federal government has declared a new offshore wind zone for electricity generation in the Southern Ocean off western Victoria with trade unions immediately calling for stronger local content rules. This, the third officially declared offshore wind zone in the country, will generate up to 2.8 GW of offshore wind energy, a fact welcomed by…
The federal government has announced a further $41 million in Energy Efficiency Grants (EEG) for Small and Medium Enterprises to improve energy efficiency, save on energy bills and lower emissions, taking the total size of the scheme to $62 million. The grants between $10,000 and $25,000 can be used to upgrade to more efficient equipment…
Samsung C&T Corporation Engineering & Construction has signed a deal with the Northern Territory to develop a green energy and sustainable manufacturing hub.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has launched the first funding round of a $400 million funding programme to support emissions reduction at existing industrial facilities in regional Australia. The Industrial Transformation Stream (ITS) is part of the Powering the Regions Fund, with ARENA working closely with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment…
The largest ever Commonwealth funding programme for renewable hydrogen, the $2 billion Hydrogen Headstart scheme, is now open for applications. The federal government’s Hydrogen Headstart program will help tap into the enormous global pipeline of private investment in hydrogen, hoping to attract investment from other locations. The United States’ $740 billion Inflation reduction Act and…
Prime100 launches new packaged pet food product Melbourne-based pet food company Prime100 has partnered with Tetra Pak to launch a premium dog food product line in cartons (pictured) with “the lowest CO2 footprint in the market”. The new SPD (Single Protein Diet) product range is available in seven flavours and packaged in Tetra Recart. Products for…
The federal government has engaged an eminent academic to study the need for a carbon tariff to protect local manufacturers from unfair competition from imports which are not subject to restrictions on emissions of CO2. The move opens the way for import tariffs to be applied on carbon intensive products such as cement and steel…
By Tony Wood, Grattan Institute “To ensure Australian consumers continue to have access to reliable electricity supplies, it’s critical that planned investments in transmission, generation and storage projects are urgently delivered.” This week, we heard one of the strongest warnings yet from Daniel Westerman, head of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). So far, media…
