Government News

South Australia-based Fleet Space has licensed, manufactured, and activated its new ExoSphere product to enhance its technology for detecting underground minerals from space. This will enable mining companies to accelerate the search for minerals and cut costs by reducing their reliance on invasive land surveying. The SpaceX Transporter 12 rideshare mission carried 130 other payloads in a massive lift in mid-January. The Fleet Space product has earned recognition as one of Australia’s fastest-growing enterprises, with clients such as Rio Tinto and Core Lithium, conducting over 250 successful surveys across five continents. "With ExoSphere, we can quickly make real-time decisions, getting into positions where we can define drilling targets quicker,” said Andrew Bennett, Exploration Manager at Core Lithium. “When you can accelerate exploration programs, you are accelerating your discovery, which is a game changer for exploration.” “These new technologies integrating artificial intelligence and big data are essential to tackle the dual challenges of space exploration and climate change,” Fleet Space Technologies founder Flavia Tata Nardini is quoted as saying. “By making these new capabilities rapidly deployable in a way…

The Australian Aluminium Council has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement of a production credit for the aluminium smelting sector as part of its Future Made in Australia plan. This marks a globally significant step towards securing the future of Australia’s aluminium industry and strengthening Australia’s role as a leader in the energy transition. “Until now, we have seen many other countries take decisive action to support their domestic manufacturing industries while Australia has been less proactive in comparison,” the Council’s CEO, Marghanita Johnson, said. “Competitive energy is the critical foundation that enables Australian businesses to compete internationally. [This] announcement is an important step in support of the industry’s transition to the competitive, reliable, lower-carbon energy needed for the aluminium industry to secure a sustainable future.” The Climate Council, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Workers Union also endorsed the move. AWU National Secretary Paul Farrow said the announcement showed the government understood the magnitude of the industry’s potential. “Abundant renewable energy, access to raw materials, and skilled workers – Australia has every advantage necessary to…

Enforcing drug and alcohol policies in the manufacturing industry is a crucial task that requires a careful balance between safety and fairness. In environments where machinery operates and safety is paramount, stringent drug testing policies are common. Recent rulings have shown that enforcing these policies must consider the nuances of employee conduct outside work hours. Key Case: Sydney Trains v Goodsell [2024] FWCFB 401 (‘Goodsell’) A landmark case this year, the Goodsell case, provides valuable insights. In this case, an employee with a spotless 26-year record tested positive for cocaine during a random drug test. He was dismissed for breaching the company's "drug-free" policy, which mandated that employees must not use drugs at any time. While the Fair Work Commission (FWC) acknowledged that the company had a valid reason for dismissal, it also deemed the action unfair due to the employee's long service and otherwise clean history. Important Takeaway: Positive drug test vs. fair dismissal A positive drug test can justify dismissal, but it does not automatically ensure it is…

The Albanese Government has taken another step towards rapidly establishing domestic manufacturing of missiles and munitions at scale under a plan that bolsters Australia’s defence capabilities while creating hundreds of jobs. The government has announced that Thales has been selected as the preferred tenderer to build a new domestic forging capability for 155mm M795 artillery ammunition. Australia, the United States, and other international partners use the 155mm M795 artillery ammunition for the M777A2 Light Towed Howitzer, which is critical for close-fire capability. Defence will work with Thales, the preferred company, to build, establish, and commission the forge at the Commonwealth-owned Benalla Munitions Facility. This project is expected to support at least 550 jobs. The forge will produce 15,000 rounds each year by 2028, with the capacity to produce up to 100,000 for global consumption. It will also be the first dedicated forge outside of the United States to manufacture 155mm M795 artillery ammunition. “Today’s announcement is another example of the Albanese Government’s commitment to developing a more capable military force while also supporting a future made in Australia,” said the Deputy Prime…

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has opened a $6.8m facility in Clayton, Victoria. The facility is dedicated to bringing its printed flexible solar technology out of the lab and into the real world, helping to meet the growing demand for renewable energy across sectors. CSIRO’s flexible solar cells are printed on thin plastic films, unlike traditional silicon solar panels. This makes them lightweight and portable, making them suitable for various applications in urban construction, space, defence, mining, emergency management, disaster relief, and wearables. CSIRO Executive Director, Digital, National Facilities and Collections, Professor Elanor Huntington, said the cutting-edge CSIRO Printed Photovoltaic (PV) Facility is the newest addition to CSIRO’s suite of critical infrastructure that enable the industries of tomorrow – in this case, a thriving Australian flexible solar manufacturing industry. “Through CSIRO’s new Printed PV Facility, industry partners can access both researcher expertise and specialised equipment to improve and apply flexible solar technology in novel ways, anywhere there is sunlight,” Professor Huntington said. “It’s exciting to see the techniques that enabled another great CSIRO invention…

The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments are jointly investing more than $60m over five years to establish the Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at TAFE NSW’s Tighes Hill campus in Newcastle. Both the Albanese Government and Minns Labor Governments are investing $28.1m, with a further $5.27m in federal funding to support the centre. This will accelerate the development of a Higher Apprenticeship model focused on the advanced skills required for net zero manufacturing. The upgraded Centre will play a pivotal role in building up new skills for workers across the Hunter, investing in their future. “The Hunter region is a powerhouse for energy and manufacturing,” said Premier of NSW, Chris Minns. “We are proud to partner with the Albanese Government to deliver this training centre, so the local community and industry have the skills needed to benefit from the energy transition. “We are getting on with the job of delivering three TAFE Centres of Excellence in NSW, a key part of our commitment to provide fully subsidised training to an additional 1,000 apprenticeships a year in advanced…

The Australian defence and space industry is set to gain onshore manufacturing of new eye-in-the-sky technology. This space camera can provide images back to Earth at high speed to aid in disaster resilience operations, land management, and defence. This multi-sensor Earth observation camera is now being developed with Leonardo, Spiral Blue, Nominal Systems and The Australian National University (ANU), brought together under an iLAuNCH Trailblazer project. “This partnership will bring first mover advantage to Australian industry and ANU, which is set to deliver a commercially viable product for future satellites,” said iLAuNCH Trailblazer Executive Director, Darin Lovett. “iLAuNCH is bringing together best-in-class technology that will help detect environmental changes, with translation opportunities to defence, including space domain awareness and missile guidance, and establishing an export market in partnership with Leonardo UK.” Leonardo has developed susceptible detectors for shortwave infrared, which can show heat on an image and see the earth's surface through clouds. However, this shortwave infrared technology has yet to be integrated into a full camera system for space applications. ANU has been developing its Rosella processor, the computer behind…

Now in its 22nd year, the 2024 Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards recognises Victoria's incredible businesses and people dedicated to manufacturing great products. Victoria is a global leader in advanced manufacturing and the nation’s manufacturing heartland. The country benefits from $33.5bn in economic output, 290,000 jobs, and $23.9bn in exports. Every time I come to the Palladium for these Hall of Fame evenings of Awards, I am blown away by the scale of the room and the community of manufacturers in the gathered crowd. There is astonishing colour, positivity, music, and another great excuse to doll up. I am also very impressed by the military precision of the table attendants and the chefs behind them, who produce top-notch meals for the assembled audience. Amazing. The judges had to trawl through 190 nominations and 43 finalists in 13 categories. The two Gold Sponsors for this event were AMTIL, and Melbourne Airport. The evening’s Bronze Sponsors were ALSTOM, CSL, macpherson kelley, Toyota and Volgren. Mike Larkin, the MC, was full of stray jokes, one-liners, and…

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is announcing the call for applications to the Quad AI-ENGAGE Initiative on behalf of the Australian Government and science partner agencies in India, Japan and the United States. The Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) Initiative calls for cutting-edge research proposals in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), sensors and robotics to help transform agricultural approaches and empower farmers in the Indo-Pacific to increase yield and resilience. By 2050, the world's population is estimated to increase to 9.7 billion people, with a corresponding rise in food demand and pressure on land and water resources. Many of the impacts of these trends will be strongly felt in the Indo-Pacific region, but so will the hope for meaningful solutions. The goal of AI-ENGAGE is to strengthen research collaboration among Quad countries and the broader Indo-Pacific region, improve the impact of critical technology research, and grow our respective agricultural sectors. CSIRO will work with the US National Science Foundation (NSF), Japan's Science and Technology Agency (JST) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to implement…

Space Machines Company, an Australian-Indian in-space servicing firm, has forged strategic partnerships with two industry leaders: Ananth Technologies, India’s premier aerospace and defence manufacturer, and Digantara, the leading full-stack space infrastructure company easing space operations and space traffic management. These collaborations mark a significant milestone in Space Machines Company’s mission to revolutionise space operations and traffic management. The partnerships will play a pivotal role in the upcoming Space MAITRI मैत्री (Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation) mission and the launch of Space Machines Company’s second Optimus satellite. Scheduled for 2026, the satellite will be deployed aboard NewSpace India Limited’s (NSIL) cutting-edge Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). Space Machines Company’s CEO and Co-Founder, Rajat Kulshrestha, formally announced and signed the two key agreements today at the Bengaluru Space Expo (BSX) 2024 in Bengaluru, India. “These partnerships represent a significant milestone for both the Space MAITRI mission and Australia’s growing connection with India’s space sector,” said Rajat Kulshrestha, CEO and Co-Founder of Space Machines Company. “We’ll work closely with Ananth Technologies and Digantara throughout the Space…

Hazelwood North Solar Farm has been granted planning permit approval for a 450-megawatt solar farm that will power approximately 150,000 homes and prevent 700,000 tons of emissions. The $651m project will create about 500 construction jobs and be more extensive than any solar farm currently operating in the state. As part of the construction plan, the site will be bordered by native vegetation landscaping to screen the facility from the surrounding land visually. The project also includes provision for a large 450-megawatt, four-hour battery energy storage facility that will store cheap solar power during the day and feed it into the grid when needed. Renewable energy made up 39% of energy capacity last year because of the 78 new large-scale projects commissioned to date, delivering 5.34 gigawatts of energy. These projects support Victoria’s nation-leading renewable energy generation targets of 65% by 2030 and 95% by 2035. These renewable energy targets are supported by energy storage targets of at least 2.6 giga-watts by 2030 and 6.3 gigawatts by 2035. “The Latrobe Valley has been the home of Victoria’s energy generation…

The potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to improve social and economic well-being is immense. AI development and deployment are accelerating and are already permeating institutions, infrastructure, products, and services. This often occurs undetected by those engaging with it. The Australian Government’s consultations on safe and responsible AI have shown that our current regulatory system is not fit for purpose to respond to the distinct risks that AI poses. Internationally, governments are introducing new regulations to address the risks of AI, with a focus on creating preventative, risk-based guardrails that apply across the AI supply chain and throughout the AI lifecycle. Australia needs a modern and effective regulatory system to unlock innovative uses of AI. Last year, the government consulted with the public and industry about AI, and Australians told them they wanted to see stronger regulation so they can confidently seize the opportunities that AI presents. The next step was producing the Proposals Paper for Introducing Mandatory Guardrails for AI in Hisk-Risk Setting. This included a proposed definition of high-risk AI, Ten proposed mandatory guardrails, and three regulatory…

Siemens and Ampcontrol, a leading Australian energy solutions provider, have announced a collaboration agreement to develop technology solutions for battery energy storage and grid applications in the Australian renewable energy market. The announcement comes at a time of growing demand for these solutions due to Australia's rapid expansion of renewable energy. The new agreement extends the existing relationship between the organisations that have worked together on several energy and renewable projects. The agreement will focus on solutions for battery energy storage and grid applications designed around Siemens’ renowned SINAMICS S120 inverters, which provide virtual synchronous generator functionalities for system strength and grid stability in the network. Overall, this will help increase digitalisation and grid resilience and support the nation’s transition to net zero. “It’s great to formalise the relationship with Ampcontrol who we’ve worked with for many years,” said Darryl Kaufmann, head of Siemens’ digital industries division in Australia and New Zealand. “This comes at a critical time for the renewable energy sector and the energy transition. A successful energy transition requires collaboration – especially to scale…