The Australian Government has approved a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with Austal that will establish the company as the Commonwealth’s strategic shipbuilder for Tier 2 surface combatants at Henderson, Western Australia, according to an announcement on Monday. Under the agreement, Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia, a newly created subsidiary, will become prime contractor for the LAND8710 programs…
Mount Isa Mayor Peta MacRae has issued an urgent plea to state and federal governments to secure a deal saving the Mount Isa Copper Smelter and Townsville Refinery, warning 17,000 jobs are at risk as mining giant Glencore prepares to mothball operations. The desperate intervention on Wednesday follows Glencore’s confirmation it is preparing to place…
When a critical medication that protects Australia’s most vulnerable communities runs short, who pays the price? A new investigation reveals the shocking gaps in our pharmaceutical sovereignty. By Simran Gill. In late February, Australia faced a crisis that few noticed but many felt: a serious shortage of benzathine benzylpenicillin G (BPG), an essential medication used…
Space Machines Company and the University of Technology Sydney announced on Tuesday the creation of Australia’s largest industrial-scale spacecraft manufacturing facility at UTS Tech Lab in Sydney. The Optimus Factory (OF-01) will feature an additional 800-square-metre spacecraft production space and house Australia’s largest satellite Assembly, Integration and Test cleanroom. The facility represents a co-investment from…
By Peter Coomber, The University of Queensland and Lisa Nissen, The University of Queensland About 400 medicines are in short supply in Australia. Of these, about 30 are categorised as critical. These are ones with a life-threatening or serious impact on patients, and with no readily available substitutes. Since 2024, there has been a nationwide…
Weld Australia has urged Australian governments to strengthen domestic manufacturing instead of retaliatory action in the wake of US global tariffs.
Manufacturing for Australia’s self-sufficiency is a must. Here Dr Mobin Nomvar Founder & MD of Scimita Ventures, examines how we can build on innovation to scale as a nation. In recent years, major conflicts have broken out in Ukraine, a major wheat producer, which together with attacks on ships passing through the Suez Canal and…
By Adam Gilmour There is a space treaty being proposed in Parliament right now that sounds innocuous, but has the potential of being the biggest speed-bump/handbrake or ‘own goal’ for the Australian space industry. Tabled in Parliament on 28 February, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Australia and the United States essentially allows US rockets…
Defence manufacturer Electro Optic Systems (EOS) has opened a new production line at its Canberra plant to manufacture the company’s new R150 Remote Weapon System (RWS). The RWS is the lighweight version of the company’s RWS design which allows soldiers to locate, point and fire guns, canon and missiles from inside the safety of an…