News and resources

Australia is a compelling market for international companies to develop, commercialise, scale and source the next generation of agriculture and food technologies. Italy is one of the largest food processors in Europe with a thriving food tech and innovation scene. From precision agriculture technologies to targeted nutrition and sustainable packaging, Italy’s leading food manufacturers are now successfully growing their footprint in Australia.

Australia is boosting critical minerals funding by another A$2 billion, doubling the capacity of Australia’s Critical Minerals Facility to finance critical minerals mining and processing projects. The extra financing takes the Australian Government’s value-adding investments in Australian resources to A$6 billion. Australia is seeking investment in critical minerals to solidify its position as a world-leading provider and help the country transition to net zero by 2050.

Australia offers tremendous potential for offshore wind projects. The Australian Government has declared two regions for development: one is off the coast of Gippsland, in Victoria, and the other is in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Another four more regions have been proposed. In this article, Austrade Investment Director Kathleen Devereaux details the opportunities for offshore wind developers in Australia. The article also spotlights international investments into Australia’s offshore wind industry, including Spanish energy giant BlueFloat Energy’s four projects.

A team of Australian engineers has been awarded the world's top prize for engineering. The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering recognises transformational feats of engineering which benefit humanity around the world. His Majesty King Charles presented Professor Martin Green of the University of New South Wales, Professor Andrew Blakers of Australia's National University, and Dr Aihua Wang and Dr Jianhua Zhao with the prize for their invention and work in the development of Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) solar photovoltaic technology.

There has never been a more exciting time to be part of the Australian rail industry. With A$70 billion in rail construction activity planned over the next 5 years, the country is currently in a period of development that will transform its rail network for generations to come. Australia has a strong pipeline of public sector funded projects, with 357 large road, rail, airport, energy and social infrastructure construction projects planned in major cities and across key freight and transport routes.

Learn about Australia's critical minerals and understand how AI-ECTA has made these resources more accessible to the Indian market.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is an Australian Government agency that provides funding for renewable energy projects and enabling technologies. ARENA has released its updated Investment Plan 2023 and General Funding Strategy 2023/24 – 2025/26. The Investment Plan includes information on how to apply for ARENA funding and examples of the projects the agency is looking to fund. The General Funding Strategy outlines ARENA’s strategic priorities against which funding proposals are assessed. These include optimising the transition to renewable electricity; commercialising renewable hydrogen; supporting the transition to low-emissions metals; and decarbonising transport. 

Australia has opened expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Hydrogen Headstart Program, the largest-ever Australian Government-funded program for renewable hydrogen. The program will provide up to A$2 billion of revenue support for large-scale renewable hydrogen projects. Australia has more than 100 hydrogen projects in the pipeline. The country is investing in public infrastructure and low-emissions technologies to grow its hydrogen industry, and developing global hydrogen supply chains with international partners. EOIs are open until 10 November 2023. Only Australian companies can be the lead applicant for funding. However, international investors can partner with Australian companies to create project consortiums. Austrade can connect investors with Australian project proponents. 

The Queensland Government has released the Quantum and Advanced Technologies Strategy& to support the continued growth of the state’s quantum technology industry. The Queensland Government will invest A$76 million over the next four years to support the strategy’s implementation. The strategy leverages Queensland’s strong research and fabrication capabilities across quantum and other related technologies. These include semiconductors, superconductors, photonics and micro-electromechanical systems. These technologies are used in industries such as renewable energy, critical minerals, batteries, medicine and defence. The strategy will also support the commercialisation of research and intellectual property by attracting and building new advanced technology businesses in Queensland. The Queensland Government worked with four universities and key quantum and advanced technology companies to develop the strategy.

The Australian Government has released a major new strategy to forge closer economic integration with Southeast Asia, one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. Developed by Mr Nicholas Moore AO, Special Envoy to Southeast Asia, the Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 sets out a practical pathway to increase Australia’s two-way trade and investment with the region. The Australian Government has announced three priority initiatives as an initial response to the strategy’s 75 recommendations. One will involve setting up investment deal teams to increase Australian investment in Southeast Asia. The teams will identify opportunities in priority sectors, provide market intelligence to investors and advise on risk management and regulatory processes. The second initiative is a four-year program to increase two-way trade between Australia and Southeast Asia. The third is a placements and internships program for young professionals in Australia and Southeast Asian countries. 

Investment in large-scale energy storage projects in Australia reached a record high in the second quarter of 2023. The Clean Energy Council’s Renewable Projects Quarterly Report showed six energy storage and hybrid projects worth A$2 billion reached investment stage in Q2 2023. This is the first time Australian storage projects have broken the billion-dollar barrier in a single quarter. These six energy storage projects will add 3,802 MWh to Australia’s storage capacity.

US headquartered snacks company Mondelēz International and global packaging company Amcor are investing in an Australian advanced recycling technology pioneer. The investments will help Licella progress construction of one of the first advanced recycling facilities in Australia, to promote a circular economy for plastic packaging. Licella’s technology uses hot, pressurised water to continuously recycle end-of-life plastic that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. The plastic is transformed into back into a crude oil substitute suitable for producing new food-grade plastic packaging. The new Australian facility, called Advanced Recycling Victoria, will initially process 20,000 tons per year of used plastic, scaling up to 120,000 tons. Through Amcor, Mondelēz International will have access to recycled content from this site to meet much of its Australian soft plastic packaging needs, reducing its need for virgin plastic.