Critical mineral projects will be favoured for federal government loans under its new critical minerals strategy, but there are to be no tailored tax breaks. Nor are there any plans to make downstream processing a condition of …
The Strategist on: "North of 26° south"
Sustainable development of northern Australia has become a national priority over the past decade. The region’s geostrategic importance has grown, and recently there have been calls to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability in the north. Importantly, …
In 2022, demographers demonstrated that parts of the north of Australia are among the most remote and sparsely populated areas in the world. These characteristics are fundamental barriers to economic transformation and growth in the …
Northern Australia has enormous potential to expand its role in providing for one of the Indo-Pacific’s most crucial needs—protein-rich foods. Thanks to its high-quality protein industries such as beef cattle and its potential to expand …
While the AUKUS agreement and the defence strategic review have focused strong interest on the massive task of building, crewing and operating Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarines, the government has also agreed in principle to sizeable …
The story of Darwin really begins with the necessity to establish a support route for the Overland Telegraph to the southern states of Australia. In November 1871, the 1,100-mile submarine cable between Darwin and Banjoewangie in Java …
In January, the World Economic Forum released its Global Risks Report 2023. For almost two decades this report has been the pre-eminent source of global risk data—the insights it provides are only becoming more valuable …
Chinese-owned Tianqi Lithium last month argued that it was a ‘like-minded’ foreign investor in Australia. This invited close consideration of the somewhat contradictory aims Australia is currently pursuing in the critical minerals sector. It should …
Nations must regularly ask themselves how they are to meet the challenges of their strategic context. The defence strategic review commissioned by the Australian government set out to assess Australia’s force posture, structure and capability. …
The reaction to the defence strategic review (DSR) has largely focused on the recommendations to re-allocate defence funding, cut Land 400 from 450 to 129 infantry fighting vehicles in favour of long-range strike capability, develop …
Geography has long been a strong driver of Australia’s national security and economic planning, the oft-noted tyranny of distance a blessing and curse. And while technology and globalisation have made the world much ‘smaller’, geography …
Climate breakdown is becoming more apparent with frequent extreme weather events around the world. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there’s been a dramatic uptake of renewable energy, primarily solar and wind, with a transition to …