Mark Diesendorf refutes a recent article by University of Melbourne Professor Emeritus Frank Larkins, which claimed Australia's targets to increase renewable energy will make electricity more expensive, thanks to problems with consistency and storage. Read more »

Australia ranks 17th in the just-released 2014 Global Innovation Index (GII) - up from 19th in 2013 and 23rd in 2012. Read more »

A biogas and water treatment plant has won the award for Innovation in ‘Environmental Management Construction’ at the Queensland Master Builders Association (QMBA) Brisbane Regional Awards. Read more »

The ISA Security Compliance Institute (ISCI) has expanded the coverage of the ISASecure cybersecurity certification program with the introduction of a system-level cybersecurity certification and the launch of an organisational certification. Read more »

WorkCover has announced that 12 new codes of practice have come into force in NSW. The new codes replace a number of existing codes that were in place under previous occupational health and safety laws. Read more »

A report commissioned by manufacturing companies shows more than 14,000 manufacturing jobs could be lost nationally by 2021, if gas prices continue to rise and exports increase. Read more »

IChemE has signed up its first Australian Technician Member, following the introduction of a new member grade. Read more »

The HART Communication Foundation is seeking qualified nominees from all world areas for the 13th annual HART Plant of the Year Award. Read more »

The Holden site at Elizabeth, South Australia, is expected to cease manufacturing by the end of 2017. Thoughts are now turning to possible future uses for the site, which currently employs about 1600 workers. Read more »

The Northern Territory iron ore industry has suffered its second hit this month, with an iron ore company announcing it is going into voluntary administration, just weeks after the declared shutdown of a Top End mine. Read more »

The biennial Yokogawa Solutions Conference, the largest and most successful to date, was attended by delegates representing a broad spectrum of the process control industry, along with vendor partner companies. Read more »

BHP Billiton's Jimmy Wilson acknowledges that BHP is trailing Rio Tinto on autonomous trucks and rail in the Pilbara, but he insists that for any technology, the second generation is always better than the first. Read more »

MathWorks' MATLAB Tour is a series of free, one-day events which bring together engineers, scientists, technical managers, and academia to discuss how MATLAB and Simulink software are addressing advanced science and engineering challenges. Read more »

HAM-LET is launching PuRight, an enhanced version of 316L stainless steel, which offers lower inclusion content, low carbon content for enhanced welding, low sulfur content for enhanced electro-polishing and better corrosion resistance. Read more »

Metso Automation USA has received a patent from the US Patent office for Automated Determination of Root Cause. The patented method determines the most likely root cause using a "big data" technique. Read more »

Automation technology provider Pilz will hold a series of one-day robot safety training courses to provide those who integrate robotic systems with a comprehensive understanding of the essential requirements of robot safety. Read more »

The third Hazards Asia Pacific process safety conference will be held on 21-23 April 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Read more »

The challenges posed by a high Australian dollar and slower economic growth should inspire manufacturers to focus their attention inwards in the quest to remain competitive. Read more »

Honeywell Process Solutions has announced it will be responsible for training technicians at a new 200,000 barrel/day refinery being constructed in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Read more »

Honeywell Process Solutions will supply automation technology for a new Fort Hills Oil Sands project in Alberta, Canada, scheduled to begin operating in late 2017. Read more »