Australia’s northern approaches are increasingly contested, yet the airspace over Cape York remains under-monitored and operationally thin. But only for the moment. Civilian sensors will close the gap. My company, Space Centre Australia, has begun …
The Strategist on: "North of 26° south"
The dust has barely settled on the 2025 federal election and the returning government has already reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a national food security strategy. That’s a welcome and long-overdue step forward. But unless …
Australia and its partners must move towards frameworks that manage, rather than merely lament, the negative side-effects of critical mineral extraction. As the world scrambles to meet the demands of a clean energy transition, it’s …
Jim Chalmers is enforcing national sovereignty and defying risk of economic intimidation. The treasurer has taken court action to force a China-linked entity to divest from a key rare-earths miner. This is a matter of …
Silicon Valley’s ‘move fast and break things’ mantra might work in software. But when it comes to lithium, rare earths and other critical minerals, where development times average 10 to 15 years, breaking things isn’t …
Fostering people-to-people links between northern Australia and Indonesia could improve agricultural output in both countries. They share agri-environmental conditions, providing opportunities for enhanced partnership. Such an approach would also progress Australia’s underdeveloped economic ties with …
In the words of Billie Eilish, ‘I’m in love with my future… can’t wait to meet her.’ But for Mount Isa and Australia, that future is being quietly dismantled. The closure of Glencore’s copper mine …
For more than a decade, commentators, analysts and industry have warned Australian governments about fuel vulnerability. Yet little has changed. Despite repeated reviews and rising geopolitical tensions, there has been little concrete action to strengthen …
The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2023–24 Defence Industry Account has made clear that the Department of Defence is not just a strategic actor; it’s an economic institution with national and regional influence. But the data …
Gas still plays a role in powering Australia, even as the country transitions towards a fully renewable energy system. The link between gas supplies, national resilience and economic prosperity means that any decision affecting its …
As climate volatility increases and regional instability looms, Australia should consider developing Darwin into the Indo-Pacific’s leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) hub. This will require recognition of Darwin’s strategic value beyond defence, funding …
Australia’s ports may be busy, but we have no way of ensuring that ships will keep coming to them in wartime. In an age of contested supply chains, strategic competition and rising instability, this absence …