Brandon How

The urgency for critical minerals processing projects to reach a final investment decision by July 2030 has been diminished after the mining sector successfully lobbied for the removal of the date as a firm cut off for accessing proposed production incentives. The removal of the extension means project developers will have longer to obtain regulatory approval and to complete infrastructure planning and detailed project design, making it easier to qualify for the credits. In submissions to a Senate inquiry published this week, The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CMEWA) welcomed the removal of the cut-off which had been widely panned during a 2024 consultation.

DXC Technology has secured $14.7 million for another four years of work on a secure data management system it developed for the federal government’s price setter for public health and aged care services. The multinational IT services and consulting company will operate, manage and support the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority’s (IHAPCA) Secure Data Management System (SDMS) until 2029. The total value of DXC Technology contracts with IHAPCA, since it first began developing the SDMS in 2016, is now worth just under $40.5 million.

Melbourne-headquartered Telix Pharmaceuticals has expanded its United States presence with the acquisition of $73 million in proprietary technology and a research facility from Californian BioTech firm ImaginAb.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed an additional $3 billion to “finish” the NBN and improve internet speeds at remaining fibre-to-the node (FTTN) premises should Labor win this year's federal election.

The California-based VC firm spawned from the US defence intelligence community In-Q-Tel has grabbed a share of Australian quantum computing startup Quantum Brilliance as a part of its US$20 million Series A funding round.

The Australian Open isn't just a Grand Slam tennis event, it's now also an integrated startup accelerator and venture capital fund targeting technology

Aluminium producers that switch to renewables will share in $2 billion worth of production credits under an election commitment by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday.

The University of Newcastle has landed a $20.7 million federal grant to build a new innovation facility that will help bring new technologies to market.

The Australian Space Agency is interested in trialling space situational awareness capabilities provided by local industry to support space launch and return operations. On Monday, the civil space regulator issued a request for information on capabilities that can track, monitor, and manage risk, to ensure future expected demand for launch and return operations can be met safely and sustainably. The request for information on space situational awareness (SSA) technology has been issued a week after the agency began plans to expand its access to external analysis and advice to accelerate the otherwise drawn out timelines for approving launch permits and other space activity.