$15bn National Reconstruction Fund opens for business
The Australian government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund can now start investing in growing Australia’s industrial capabilities, says the Department of Industry. The Minister for Industry, Ed Husic, and the Finance Minister, Katy Gallagher, have published the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation’s Investment Mandate, unlocking what they terms as billions of dollars in investment finance to…
ASCA releases first two capability problem statements
Defence’s Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) has released its first Approach to Market (ATM) for the Mission Program. Industry and research partners have been invited to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to help co-design and deliver ASCA’s first missions. The closing date for the RFP is 25 January 2024 The two ATM capability…
Proposed legislation aims to unlock billions of dollars for AUKUS industry partners
The Australian Government plans to unlock billions of dollars in investment and cut red tape for Australia’s Defence industry and its AUKUS partners with the introduction of the proposed Defence Trade Controls Amendment Bill 2023. At the time of writing the Bill is undergoing Parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet passed into law. However, critics of…
Lockheed Martin Australia and Av-Comm instal SouthPAN’s first satellite dish
Lockheed Martin Australia and Australian industry partner Av-Comm has successfully completed the installation of the inaugural satellite dish for the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN) in Uralla, regional New South Wales. This marks a significant achievement for the SouthPAN project, a collaborative initiative between Geoscience Australia and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand designed…
Hunter-class frigate passes PDR milestone
BAE Systems’ Hunter-class Frigate Program has successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The review, which started in July, is a technical assessment that ensures the design is operationally effective and underpins the more detailed work that will now be undertaken. More than 1,800 people are now working on the Hunter program, which is transforming…
Additional university places to grow Australia’s AUKUS workforce
The Australian government will support an additional 4,001 places at 16 Australian universities to help grow the skilled workforce required to deliver the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine pathway. The Department of Education is investing $128 million to fund the extra university places over four years, starting in 2024. These additional places will apply to 38 STEM-related…
