Rio Tinto increased its spend with Australian suppliers to more than $15.3 billion in 2022, an increase of almost nine per cent on the previous year, with more than 6,200 businesses benefiting, including Australian owned and operated businesses and locally owned and managed branches of global companies. Over $565 million was spent with Indigenous businesses. The Illawarra Clean Energy Expo will showcase the companies and organisations active within the Illawarra region in the clean energy transformation, providing high-calibre, sustainable employment and training. The inaugural event will be held at Australian Parliament House in Canberra. Two University of Southern Queensland researchers have been named among this year’s Advance Queensland Industry Fellows. Dr Hamid Ahmadi received $240,000 to investigate the application of newly-developed composite materials to improve the resilience of marine infrastructure, while Dr Andy Nguyen was awarded $360,000 to develop a novel AI technology to monitor the structural and health conditions of Queensland’s transport tunnel network. Sapien Ventures, an Asia Pacific technology venture capital firm, urged the federal government to “urgently reconsider plans to alter Australia’s Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program. A new Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Network was launched by industry minister Ed Husic to support Australian companies in using and creating AI ethically and safely. Thirty-two Queensland high schools have joined the state government’s Hydrogen Gateway to Industry Schools program, providing opportunities for 2,000 students to be given hydrogen career pathway opportunities.
Manufacturing News Briefs – Stories You Might Have Missed
Pure Hydrogen Reaps Clean Energy Rewards
Pure Hydrogen reported a significant increase in revenue during the first half of the year, from $206,000 to $6.13 million, as a result of its focus on developing end-to-end green hydrogen fuel ecosystems. The rise in revenue saw the company’s net profit after tax (NPAT) improve from a loss of $808,000 in the previous corresponding period to a profit of $4.3 million. Pure Hydrogen has also benefited from $6 million in research and development tax incentives, contributing to a cash balance of $14.7 million. During the first half of the year, the company launched its first hydrogen fuel cell city bus in New South Wales, and during the next quarter, it will begin trials with PepsiCo, delivering its first hydrogen-powered truck to the company.
Professionals Celebrate Win on Unpaid Overtime
The Fair Work Commission’s decision on the Professional Employees Award 2020 has been welcomed by Professionals Australia, covering professional engineers, professional scientists, IT workers, those working in the game workers sector, and quality assurance professionals. Employers are now required to keep records of hours worked and pay their employees for all hours worked above 38 hours. Furthermore, penalties will now apply to hours worked before 6:00 am or after 10:00 pm Monday to Saturday, which attract a rate of 125 per cent, and hours worked on Sundays and public holidays will attract a rate of 150 per cent. Employers paying employees 25 per cent above the relevant award classification will be exempt from the requirements. Professionals Australia CEO Jill McCabe said the changes give effect to the intent of existing provisions in the award to pay employees who work overtime, which had previously been unenforceable due to their vagueness.
Ampcontrol Employee Safety Programme Scoops the Pool
Ampcontrol’s employee safety program, designed to increase employee engagement in safety and reduce injury rates, has been recognized with three awards at the Hunter Safety Awards, including the Best WHS Management System, Best Safety Leadership Program, and the Safety Advocacy Award. The program was launched in 2019 and has resulted in a 41 per cent reduction in recordable injuries and a 63 per cent reduction in lost-time injuries across Ampcontrol’s global workforce. Ampcontrol’s CEO, Rod Henderson, said the awards were a testament to the company’s commitment to safety and the hard work of its employees in developing and implementing the program.
Manufacturing News Briefs – Stories You Might Have Missed
Ampcontrol’s ‘Live Work Better’ Programme Wins Best WHS Improvement Award
Ampcontrol’s employee safety and wellbeing programme, ‘Live Work Better’, has been awarded the Best WHS Improvement Award at the 2023 Hunter Safety Awards. Developed in collaboration with EY Psychologists, the programme addresses risk through attitudes and behaviours to build a better and safer workplace for its diverse workforce of over 1,000 employees across Australia. The psychology-based programme aims to shift towards a culture of shared responsibility, ownership, and positive health, safety, environment, and quality (HSEQ) outcomes. Since its launch in November 2020, 95 percent of the workforce has completed the programme, comprised of online modules and face-to-face sessions varying between 4 – 8 hours. Ampcontrol’s General Manager – HSEQ, Simon Coleman, said the programme challenges everyone at Ampcontrol to think, act, lead, and foster a culture of shared responsibility.
Victorian Medtech and Healthcare Innovation Partnership
Monash University and Sheba Medical Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to research and develop equitable healthcare models and medtech manufacturing opportunities in Victoria. The Victorian Government will invest around $200,000 with Monash University’s Victorian Heart Institute to improve access to the latest technology and enable faster adoption of new treatments for cardiovascular diseases. The state has supported several major medtech projects, including the $20 million Australian Medtech Manufacturing Centre, mRNA Victoria, and startup investments through LaunchVic and the Breakthrough Victoria Fund.
Flinders University’s International AUKUS Education Hook-up
Flinders University has signed agreements with leading nuclear science and technology universities in the United Kingdom and United States to deliver a comprehensive suite of the world’s best nuclear education in South Australia as early as 2023. The University of Manchester, the lead university in the UK’s Nuclear Technology Education Consortium, has partnered with Flinders for the Australian delivery of its nuclear masters programmes and doctoral level research training. A second agreement was signed with The University of Rhode Island, a leading US public research university known for its strong ties to the submarine manufacturing industry. The partnerships will enhance South Australia’s international nuclear expertise ahead of AUKUS submarine construction.
Rio Tinto Boosts Australian Supplier Purchases
Rio Tinto has reported a significant increase in purchases from Australian suppliers, reaching $7.4 billion in 2022, up from $6.8 billion in 2021. The company’s local spending has increased as a result of its operations and major projects in Australia, including the Amrun bauxite mine and the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project. Rio Tinto’s Group Procurement Director, Vicky Binns, said the company’s focus on supporting local suppliers and investing in local communities is central to its commitment to creating sustainable value in Australia. Rio Tinto has a local procurement target of $10 billion by 2025.
Manufacturing News Briefs – Stories You Might Have Missed
Rio Tinto’s Increased Spend with Australian Suppliers
Rio Tinto has reported an increased spend of over $15.3 billion in 2022 with more than 6,200 Australian suppliers, including locally owned and managed branches of global companies and Australian-owned businesses. The spend helped support tens of thousands of Australian jobs and delivered a significant economic contribution to communities across the country. Over $565 million of the spend was with Indigenous businesses, an increase of 40 per cent on the year before. Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive Australia, Kellie Parker, said supporting local businesses in the communities where they operate is a key priority for the company. Rio Tinto has a local procurement target of $10 billion by 2025.
Inaugural Illawarra Clean Energy Expo
The Illawarra Clean Energy Expo will showcase the companies and organisations active within the Illawarra region in the clean energy transformation, providing high-calibre, sustainable employment and training. The expo will be held at Australian Parliament House in Canberra on Monday and will feature Illawarra-born ingenuity in clean energy and renewables. The delegation includes BlueScope Steel, Squadron Energy, Hysata, Green Gravity, Oceanex, BOC Gases, Sicona Battery Technologies, Gridsight AI, NSW Ports, i3Net, Business Illawarra, Recharge Illawarra, Rewiring Australia, Ecojoule Energy, Wise Energy, and Invest Wollongong.
Two UniSQ Fellowships Focus on State Infrastructure
The University of Southern Queensland’s (UniSQ) Centre for Future Materials has awarded two fellowships for research into state infrastructure. The first fellowship aims to identify new opportunities for high-value recycled materials in Queensland’s roads and bridges. The second fellowship aims to develop a new generation of lightweight, strong, and sustainable materials for the state’s transport infrastructure, with a focus on reducing the carbon footprint of transport infrastructure. The Centre for Future Materials Director, Professor Peter Schubel, said the fellowships would play an important role in advancing the state’s infrastructure sustainability and creating a more sustainable future for Queensland.
Technology News Briefs – Stories You Might Have Missed
Two USQ Researchers Named Among This Year’s Advance Queensland Industry Fellows
Two University of Southern Queensland researchers, Dr Hamid Ahmadi and Dr Andy Nguyen, have been named among this year’s Advance Queensland Industry Fellows. Dr Ahmadi received $240,000 to investigate the application of newly-developed composite materials to improve the resilience of marine infrastructure, while Dr Nguyen was awarded $360,000 to develop a novel AI technology to monitor the structural and health conditions of Queensland’s transport tunnel network. The Advance Queensland Industry Fellowships program facilitates collaboration between research and industry on major technological, environmental and social challenges, helping the state’s scientists increase Queensland’s standing as a global innovation economic powerhouse.
VC Firm Urges Rethink of Investor Visa Changes
Sapien Ventures, an Asia Pacific technology venture capital firm, has urged the federal government to urgently reconsider plans to alter Australia’s Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program. The government has signalled intentions to review the program, introduced in 2012 and allowing skilled migrants to have visa applications fast-tracked if they invest $5 million in Australia, which was described by home affairs minister Clare O’Neal as “not adding value to the country.” According to Sapien’s modelling, $800 million will have been channelled into the Australian innovation economy via SIV-compliant VC/PE funds by June 2023.
Australian Responsible AI Network to be Announced
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) will announce the establishment of the Australian Responsible AI Network (ARAIN) in the coming weeks. The ARAIN will be a network of organisations committed to advancing AI research, development and deployment in an ethical, accountable and transparent manner. It aims to ensure that AI is developed and used to benefit all Australians and to build trust and confidence in AI systems. The network will help to promote Australian AI research and innovation by fostering collaboration, sharing knowledge and best practices and providing opportunities for engagement with industry, government and community stakeholders.
New Responsible AI Network launched by Australia’s Industry Minister
Australia’s Industry Minister, Ed Husic, announced the launch of a “world-first cross-ecosystem program” named the Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Network. This program aims to support Australian businesses in using and creating AI ethically and safely. The network will bring together a national community of practice, guided by world-leading expert partners, and provide best-practice guidance, tools, and learning modules. The initial Knowledge Partners of the Responsible AI Network include the Australian Industry Group, Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), CEDA, CSIRO’s Data61, Standards Australia, The Ethics Centre, The Gradient Institute, The Human Technology Institute, and the Tech Council of Australia. National AI Centre Director, Stela Solar, said that no country in the world has yet worked out responsible AI, and this initiative will equip Australian businesses with the toolkit to build and deploy safe and ethical AI solutions.
Queensland high schools to provide hydrogen career pathways through Hydrogen Gateway
The Queensland state government’s Hydrogen Gateway to Industry Schools program has added 32 Queensland high schools to its program, providing 2,000 students with hydrogen career pathway opportunities. The program aims to deliver hands-on experience to students to assist them in their career choices and self-select pathways to employment in the hydrogen industry. The initiative is expected to aid in the growth of the state’s hydrogen industry, with projections of up to $19 billion in revenue and 4,350 jobs by 2040. Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, commented on the state’s potential to become a hydrogen superpower, but also stated the importance of preparing the workforce for the jobs that the industry will create.
Rio Tinto Increases Spend with Australian Suppliers
Rio Tinto, a mining giant, has increased its spending with Australian suppliers to more than $15.3 billion in 2022, representing an increase of almost nine percent from the previous year. This move is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to support communities where it operates. The spend was directed towards more than 6,200 businesses, including Australian owned and operated businesses, as well as locally owned and managed branches of global companies. More than $565 million was spent with Indigenous businesses, marking an increase of 40 percent from the previous year. According to a statement, this spend helped support tens of thousands of Australian jobs and delivered a significant economic contribution to communities across the country. Rio Tinto Chief Executive Australia, Kellie Parker, stated that supporting local businesses is a key priority for the company, which strives to employ local people, buy local products and engage local services.
Two UniSQ researchers receive Advance Queensland Industry Fellowships
The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) announced that two of its researchers, Dr. Hamid Ahmadi and Dr. Andy Nguyen, were awarded Advance Queensland Industry Fellowships. Dr. Ahmadi received $240,000 to investigate the application of newly-developed composite materials to improve the resilience of marine infrastructure, while Dr. Nguyen was awarded $360,000 to develop a novel AI technology to monitor the structural and health conditions of Queensland’s transport tunnel network. The Advance Queensland Industry Fellowships program facilitates collaboration between research and industry on major technological, environmental, and social challenges, helping the state’s scientists increase Queensland’s standing as a global innovation economic powerhouse. Dr. Ahmadi’s project addresses issues caused by the 2022 east coast floods, which led to $5.5 billion in damage to critical infrastructure, and will involve engineers from Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies and Maritime Safety Queensland, as well as three UniSQ postgraduate students. Dr. Nguyen will use his fellowship to develop a novel AI-powered automated structural condition and health monitoring technology to advance
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