Sustainability

What entrance security drift is really costing your data centre

“Loss” in a data centre environment typically means breaches, outages, or downtime. But some of the most significant losses caused by physical security weaknesses don’t show up in those reports at all. Instead, they creep up slowly through little deviations from defined access control procedures that don’t cause incidents on their own, but steadily increase labour costs, create compliance exposure, and reduce operational efficiency over time. Because entrances are operational systems with a direct impact on how smoothly and reliably your data centre runs day-to-day. Entrances are often treated as fixed controls… not dynamic risk points Power systems are redundant. Cooling is monitored. Networks are load-tested, patched, and hardened against evolving threats. Entrances rarely receive the same treatment. Too often, they’re designed, deployed, and then forgotten, typically considered “good enough” once access card readers function and access appears restricted. Eventually, this can lead to a disconnect between how entrances were designed to perform and how they actually operate in practice. As staffing levels become stretched, people start optimising for speed. Nothing fails. But the process no longer works as designed. Operational efficiency starts to slip, slowly at first Compromised entrance security often begins with a loss of operational efficiency. When your access controls can’t consistently enforce one-person-per-credential entry, that responsibility falls back to your guards and staff. Someone has to watch entrances more closely, guide people where they need to go, and manually approve access exceptions, like when: Guards are occupied handling routine access instead of monitoring cameras Employees stop to resolve credential issues or receive manual access Contractors wait for escorts or someone to resolve confusion Entry lines clog during shift changes or peak activity periods Employees and guards become traffic cops rather than risk assessors. Guard coverage turns into a hidden expense Entrances that […]

Gas reservation doesn’t fix Australia’s manufacturing competitiveness, analysis finds

Artificially oversupplying the gas market under the Federal Government’s proposed reservation scheme would do little to improve the competitiveness of Australia’s largest manufacturers while risking investment in future gas supply, independent analysis by Wood Mackenzie has found. Wood Mackenzie analysed the gas costs of 13 of the largest industrial gas users on the east coast, which together generated almost $24 billion revenue and $3.8 billion in profit last year, and assessed the impact of manufacturers’ proposal for a ‘must-sell’ obligation requiring gas to be supplied below $10 a gigajoule, even where prices fall below the cost of production. It found gas accounts for less than five per cent of the facilities’ combined operating costs, and that reducing wholesale gas prices from $12/GJ to $10/GJ would lower combined annual operating costs by just $94 million and increase average profit margins by only 0.4 per cent. Even if wholesale gas prices fell to $8/GJ, average profit margins would improve by just 0.8 per cent. The report also found many of Australia’s largest manufacturers have long-term gas supply contracts to 2035 and beyond, meaning any changes to wholesale gas prices would have little or no impact on their operations. Australian Energy Producers Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said the findings reinforced concerns the Government’s proposed reservation framework would undermine investment in new gas supply while delivering only marginal benefits for manufacturers. “The analysis shows cheaper gas is not the panacea for the competitiveness challenges facing Australian manufacturing,” Ms McCulloch said. “Manufacturers need reliable and affordable gas for the long term. But that can only be achieved through a stable and competitive market that encourages investment in new supply. “Artificially oversupplying the market may deliver a temporary sugar hit, but it would undermine investment in new supply, push domestic-focused producers out of the market and […]

Australian manufacturers are facing their biggest energy risk in decades – Most haven’t noticed yet

By Jonathan Pooch Let me be direct: most Australian manufacturers are carrying a significant energy risk right now, and most of them don’t know it. That world of low, stable energy prices where energy sat in the engineering manager’s inbox and not the boardroom is gone. And the organisations that haven’t updated their thinking are the ones most exposed to what’s coming. The federal government’s Demand Side Statement of Opportunities (DSOO) is a signal worth paying attention to. The study, currently in development by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water with CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator, is expected to be released later this year. It will for the first time formally model the value of industrial energy users as active participants in managing the grid. The CSIRO’s FlexCost study alongside it puts a price on what it costs to incentivise businesses to flex their energy loads, shifting consumption to off-peak periods, storing heat or power for later use, responding dynamically to grid conditions. The first FlexCost report is due this quarter. This is a fundamental shift in how the energy system is being designed. And most manufacturers have no idea what it means for them. Here’s what it means. We are entering a new world of renewables, batteries, solar and electrification, and with it comes a significant and growing risk for manufacturers who haven’t started thinking strategically about energy. Gas prices are up. Price volatility is increasing. The grid is becoming more complex. And at some point, government funding becomes irrelevant, because the energy price itself will force decisions. The question is whether you’re making those decisions under pressure or whether you’ve already mapped your options and can move fast when the moment arrives. I’ve been in enough boardrooms to know that energy is […]

Power surge: Deakin study finds sharing energy cuts costs and boosts fairness

Australia’s first-ever large-scale randomised control trial exploring a new technology that enables households and small businesses to buy and sell solar and battery power, has found to have increased access to solar and battery use, lower electricity prices, and encourage greater perceptions of a fairer energy system. The Virtual Energy Network (VEN) study, led by Deakin Business School and funded by Energy Consumers Australia’s Grants Program, has explored how households and small businesses can be enabled to sell excess solar or battery-stored power directly to others via a digital platform. Dr Andrea La Nauze, lead researcher and energy economist at Deakin University, said the project shows a potential blueprint for creating a more inclusive and flexible energy system in Australia. ‘Helping more people access the benefits of solar and battery power is vital to supporting Australia’s successful transition to net zero,’ Dr La Nauze said. The Virtual Energy Network allows people with solar to decide who their surplus power goes to, and how much they charge for it. It also shows how we can help more Australians access clean energy – even if they cannot install panels themselves. Our research is a significant step toward leveraging this distributed energy resource for the benefit of all Australians, not just those able to install solar themselves.’ About 300 participants from QLD, NSW, Vic and SA joined the study, which has been running since June 2025. One-third of participants did not have rooftop solar or batteries. The online platform allows energy sellers and buyers to trade based on mutually agreed prices. Buyers stand to benefit from power that is typically cheaper than standard electricity rates, while supporting the broader use of local renewable energy. The VEN led to increased utilisation of solar and also helped increase perceptions of a ‘fairer’ energy system among participants. Importing households […]

Agricultural spraying specialist HARDI curtails downtime and wear with robust LAPP cable harnesses

LAPP cable harnessing solutions built for harsh Australian environments are delivering durability, traceability, and reliability benefits to agricultural spraying equipment specialist, HARDI. Agricultural spraying equipment specialist HARDI is using robust, traceable, and fit-for-purpose cable harnessing solutions from LAPP Australia to reduce downtime, improve reliability, and extend equipment longevity. HARDI’s spraying equipment ranges from compact 1.5 litre hand sprayers through to 10,000 litre trailer sprayers and 54 metre booms. A Danish company by origin, the Australian subsidiary is the largest outside of its headquarters, and is based on a 10 hectare site in Adelaide, where it manufactures the majority of equipment in house. “Australian conditions are often harsher than those typical in Europe, so our gear needs to be manufactured to withstand the elements,” says HARDI Australia Chief Commercial Officer, Zac Harnett. “Having a local manufacturing facility allows us to tailor our equipment to Australian conditions. The demanding operating environment of agricultural spraying equipment places significant stress on electrical systems, and quality cable assemblies can minimise maintenance requirements and costly downtime. “We chose LAPP’s harnessing solutions because their cables and components ticked all our boxes, including chemical resistance, UV resistance, overmolding of connectors, energy chain rated cables capable of withstanding bending motions on booms, and an overall level of robust quality that we were seeking,” said Harnett. LAPP’s Harnessing Solutions Division provides companies like HARDI with pre-assembled, standards-compliant cable assemblies that are fully traceable and ready to install, helping reduce assembly time and complexity. LAPP Harnessing Solutions General Manager, Stuart Fleming, says “Agricultural spraying equipment contains a significant number of cables and components. We deliver these assembled, labelled, and ready to go, which means the HARDI team can install them quickly, and deliver faster to their customers.” Total traceability With so many individual components going into each machine, traceability […]

Streamlining the onboarding process amidst high manufacturing turnover

Andy Nicholas, WorkJam The manufacturing industry continues to navigate a highly active and turbulent labour market. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, job vacancies across Australia have remained elevated in recent years, with hundreds of thousands of roles unfilled – including persistent shortages across manufacturing and logistics. However, keeping the factory floor fully staffed remains a constant challenge, as employers contend with ongoing labour mobility and competition for skilled workers. This reflects a broader national trend, with workforce churn remaining elevated across frontline and shift-based industries. While robust hiring is necessary to maintain output – with industry bodies such as the Australian Industry Group reporting that more than half of manufacturers are struggling to find suitably skilled workers – many employers are struggling to effectively onboard these new employees. At the same time, the National Skills Commission continues to highlight persistent shortages in key technical and operational roles critical to manufacturing. With vacancies remaining elevated and skills gaps ongoing, employers are feeling increasing pressure to make every hire count. Bringing on a new recruit typically involves dozens of training hours and takes months for the employee to reach full productivity. Furthermore, the average cost of adding a new employee is particularly high in manufacturing due to the extensive safety protocols and specialized training required. To attract and keep talent in this competitive environment, Australian employers are also navigating steady wage growth, with increases tracking at approximately 3.5 to 4 percent annually in recent periods. Today’s workers are highly mobile. While Australia does not track “quit rates” in the same way as the United States, labour mobility remains elevated, particularly across frontline and operational roles. Employees are increasingly willing to change roles for better pay, flexibility, or development opportunities. This makes it more critical than ever for employers to train new individuals quickly, engage them immediately, […]

Dr Gabrielle M Caswell of SpacePort Australia Pty Ltd, a finalist in seven out of 30 Australian Space Awards, 2026

Dr Gabrielle M Caswell of SpacePort Australia Pty Ltd, has been named a finalist in seven out of 30 Australian Space Awards, 2026. Dr Caswell has confirmed her acceptance of the award nominations, she was a finalist in the 2025 (5) and 2024 (3)awards. Dr Caswell says, “It’s an exciting time to be working in space, we are watching the renaissance of human space flight, beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and a return to the Moon.” She continued, “It’s particularly exciting as Artemis II had a smooth launch, and all hands returned to Earth.” Dr Caswell added, “We should remember the pictures of the first landing on the Moon, Apollo 11, Artemis’ brother ship, were directly beamed from Antenna One, Moree OTC, to the world. The Moree OTC station is now decommissioned, the site is 20 minutes from SpacePort Australia. The Honeysuckle Creek Achieves has a wonderful repository of Australia’s long history, of supporting space exploration. It has a great store of images, which are really worth reviewing”. Dr Caswell has spent a large part of her working life in rural and remote environments; she has unique operational insight into the challenges of providing medical care for remote locations, a distinct advantage when understanding the operational space environment. Dr Caswell continues to work in the practices she established over 20 years ago, in rural NSW. SpacePort Austrlaia has a unique niche in the modern space industry, blending engineering with biological and ecological systems management. She continued, “Important concepts for exploration class deep space missions, and remote space colonies, are, by virtue of location, have finite resources. Technology needs to be robust, fixable and serve very precise purposes. The extraterrestrial environment is unique in its overriding hostility towards the human life form.” Dr Caswell’s enthusiasm for science, in all its forms, […]

Battery-free sensors close to reality with breakthrough in solar manufacturing

Sensors underpin modern life, but many still rely on disposable batteries which are contributing to a growing waste problem. With lithium-ion battery waste in Australia projected to exceed 100,000 tonnes by 2036, and hundreds of millions of household batteries discarded each year – many used in low-power indoor sensors and data loggers – there is an urgent need for cleaner power solutions. Now an NSSN Grand Challenge Fund project has demonstrated a viable pathway to producing a battery-free, sustainable alternative. Led by Macquarie University researchers, the project achieved a breakthrough in a key manufacturing step for perovskite photovoltaic (PV) cells which can be designed to generate power from ambient light. The team found a way to manufacture these PV cells faster and more energy-efficient using microwaves: instead of taking 30 minutes, it now takes about 30 seconds and uses half the energy. They also worked out how to scale the process for real manufacturing, where material is produced continuously on a moving roll. “If this technology can be scaled, it unlocks sensing applications that simply aren’t viable today, such as sensors embedded in concrete, environmental monitors in remote infrastructure, long-term medical devices, and agricultural sensing under greenhouse lighting, all operating continuously without maintenance,” Project Lead and Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering at Macquarie University, Dr Binesh Veettil says. The breakthrough uses a microwave-based process to reduce perovskite PV cell annealing from around 30 minutes to about 30 seconds while significantly cutting energy use, enabling fast, scalable manufacturing and supporting future low-cost, self-powered indoor sensor applications. The project also opens the door to more flexible production where perovskite PV cells could one day be printed and integrated into materials like packaging, buildings and clothing rather than just manufactured for traditional panels. “The real barrier has always been the cost and complexity […]

Existing tax system would deliver $80 billion more tax from higher oil price, report finds

Australia’s oil and gas industry would deliver almost $160 billion in taxes and royalties to governments over the next five years if high international prices persist under existing tax settings, new independent analysis by Wood Mackenzie shows. This represents around $80 billion more than under typical long-term price assumptions equating to nearly $17 billion per year in additional revenue flowing to federal and state budgets. Australian Energy Producers Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said the findings reinforce that Australia’s existing fiscal framework including the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) is already working as intended. “Australia’s oil and gas fiscal regime is designed to deliver strong returns to the community, and this analysis shows it does exactly that, especially when prices are high,” Ms McCulloch said. “As global energy markets tighten and commodity prices increase, the benefit flows directly to Australian governments through higher company tax, royalties and PRRT receipts. “The analysis shows the PRRT would deliver the largest uplift in tax revenue, with a 70 per cent increase in oil prices almost trebling receipts from $13.5 billion to $38.9 billion over five years.” The analysis compares a sustained oil price of around US$120 per barrel with a typical long-term assumption of US$70 per barrel, showing government revenues already increase as commodity prices rise. Ms McCulloch said the findings come at a time when global energy market disruptions have underscored the importance of Australia’s oil and gas industry to domestic supply and regional energy security. “Australia’s oil and gas industry is making a substantial contribution to government revenues, while continuing to deliver reliable energy at home and supporting energy security across our region,” she said. “Domestic gas prices remain stable and well below international levels, and our LNG exports are helping secure supply chains for critical fuels into Australia from key regional partners. […]

Ancient tectonic processes the key to locating rare minerals essential for modern technologies

New research from Adelaide University has revealed that geological processes dating back billions of years are critical to locating the rare earth elements needed for modern technologies and the global clean energy transition. Published today in Science Advances, the study shows a strong global link between ancient subduction zones – where tectonic plates collide – and the formation of rare earth element (REE) deposits and carbonatites, a type of hot molten rock called magma, known to host these valuable resources. Rare earth elements are essential components in technologies such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, and defence systems. However, locating economically viable deposits remains a major global challenge. Led by Professor Carl Spandler from the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, the research team reconstructed Earth’s geological history over the past two billion years using advanced plate tectonic modelling. They identified regions of the Earth’s mantle that had been fertilised by subduction processes, where material from one tectonic plate is forced beneath another, releasing fluids and elements into the overlying mantle. The Adelaide University researchers found that these fertilised mantle regions now underlie approximately 67% of carbonatites and 72% of REE deposits formed over the past 1.8 billion years. For older deposits, that figure rises to 92%. Prof Spandler said the findings provide compelling evidence that ancient subduction zones play a fundamental role in creating the conditions needed for rare earth deposits to form. “This research shows that the ingredients for these critical mineral deposits were put in place many million to even billions of years ago,” Prof Spandler said. “By identifying where these ancient processes occurred, we can significantly narrow down the search areas for future discoveries.” The study also challenges previous theories that linked these deposits primarily to mantle plumes –columns of hot material rising from deep within the […]

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