Emerging oyster and seaweed farming in Fiji and northern Australia
To support emerging oyster and seaweed farming livelihoods in Fiji and northern Australia (Goulburn Island and Groote Eylandt) the project will address technical, social and market challenges.
Key objectives include developing a safe, nutritious, and marketable tropical rock oyster product; ensuring reliable access to oyster juveniles (spat) for farmers; supporting the establishment of community-based enterprises, strengthening the capacity of national and regional institutions to support enterprise development and identify and provide options to integrate seaweed into oyster farming systems.
Both tropical oysters and seaweed are globally recognised for their role in supporting regional businesses.
They hold significant potential to enhance food security and stimulate economic growth in coastal communities across Fiji and northern Australia.
This collaboration offers a timely opportunity to foster sustainable livelihoods through the development of oyster and seaweed aquaculture, supporting the long-term viability of community economies in both regions.
The outcomes of this project will contribute to the broader goals of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, working towards creating healthy, resilient, and equitable food systems for tropical coastal communities.
This initiative underscores the Northern Territory Government's commitment to advancing sustainable aquaculture practices, supporting Indigenous participation, and fostering growth within the industry in the Northern Territory.
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ABC News
29 minutes ago
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Australian-made Gilmour Space Technologies not giving up after rocket crash
The company behind an Australian-made orbital rocket is planning another launch attempt within months after yesterday's brief lift-off on debut. The 23-metre orbital rocket flew for about 14 seconds before crashing at its launch pad near Bowen, 1,000 kilometres north of Brisbane. Despite its brevity the launch attempt has been hailed as a major step towards Australia's participation in the space industry. Gilmour Space Technologies CEO Adam Gilmour said it appeared engine failure was to blame for the rocket's crash. But plans are already underway to launch another orbital rocket. Mr Gilmour said he hoped the next rocket would go into orbit, and the next after that would take up a commercial satellite. "We want to get up four rockets a year and then eventually more than 12 rockets a year," he said. Space industry experts said yesterday's fizzled lift-off should be seen as a major advance. Gilmour Space Technologies is backed by private venture capital and received $5 million from the Australian government towards the launch of the Eris launch vehicle — described as the nation's first commercial orbital rocket. Paulo De Souza, an executive dean of engineering at Edith Cowan University who has worked with NASA, said the launch attempt was a major achievement. "It's almost impossible to get it right the first time. "I'm sure the team has collected a lot of data to help it understand what it could have done better." He said investors in Gilmour would be well aware of just how difficult the process was. "They understand that it is a risky endeavour. Failure is part of the business … until you get it right." University of Southern Queensland astrophysicist Jonti Horner said it was the best first launch attempt he had seen. "Every organisation that has launched rockets to space has built success off the back of explosive failures" Professor Horner said more than one company was looking to build capacity for space flight in northern Australia. "If you're closer to the equator you get a lot of help from the earth's spin. It makes it easier to get into orbit," he said. Professor Horner said it was feasible to expect a satellite would be launched from Australia within five years. The attempted launch proved a boost to tourism with people flocking to the town to see the rocket. Alistair Sawers pulled his two kids out of school for the morning to come and watch the historic launch attempt. He said the company had made a brave attempt. "Look, at least they gave it a go. Hopefully they give it another go," he said.

ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
NZ 'ULEB' wood heaters emit a fraction of the pollution of standard models. Why aren't they in Australia?
A new generation of low-emission wood heaters that can produce a fraction of the particulate pollution of current models could save lives by improving air quality, according to researchers. But while the heaters have been on sale in New Zealand for more than a decade, and Australian clean air groups have called for their widespread adoption, they might not be widely available here for many years. Updating pollution standards that would effectively make all new heaters sold in Australia low-emission would take up to 10 years, according to Tim Cannon, chair of a Standards Australia pollution committee. Mr Cannon is also head of the lobby group the Australian Home Heating Association — but he said decisions on pollution standards were voted on by all members of the committee, which includes a range of perspectives. He told the ABC he was unconvinced by recent peer-reviewed modelling that showed long-term exposure to wood-heater smoke was responsible for more than 700 premature deaths every year around the country. But, Mr Cannon said, the committee would consider tightening pollution standards, although he was concerned that doing this too rapidly could "decimate" the industry. "You can't just roll out changes [to wood heaters] overnight," he said. However, Australian researchers studying the effectiveness of low-emission burners said the introduction of new low-emission heaters "could be done very rapidly" based on the NZ experience. So what are ultra-low emission wood heaters and what impact have they had to pollution levels in New Zealand? Ultra-low emission burners (ULEBs) cost the same and look much like traditional wood heaters, but include various technologies to improve combustion, convert more of the fuel to heat, and ultimately reduce particulate emissions. They were introduced into New Zealand following the introduction of tougher standards, and are now undergoing testing at the University of Tasmania. Testing has shown ULEBs are the only kind of heater that could meet more stringent emissions standards. John Todd, a wood-heater expert taking part in the testing, said NZ wood-heater manufacturers were forced to innovate and develop ULEB designs after parts of the country introduced tight emissions controls a decade ago. "They said they could never build heaters that could meet [ULEB emission standards] and they now have 30‒40 models that do." The heaters have made a significant difference to the air quality of Christchurch, where the local council ran a phase-out scheme for traditional wood heaters. Dr Todd said testing of ULEB designs on Australian hardwoods showed the heaters could emit just 10 per cent of the particulate matter (specifically particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, known as PM2.5) generated by wood heaters complying with current Australian standards. Fay Johnston, director of the University of Tasmania's Centre for Safe Air, said Australia could follow NZ's lead with ULEBs, along with other measures such as a phase-out of wood heaters in general in urban and high-density areas. "There's really no reason not to adopt it and drive the same innovation and have far less-polluting heaters available for Australians," Professor Johnston, who led the testing, said. The decision around how dirty wood heaters sold in Australia may be is largely governed by wood-heater pollution standards set by Standards Australia's "CS-062" technical committee, a group of 20 members made up mostly from industry and government. Over the past 30 years, the committee has tightened its pollution standards, so heaters emit much less particulate matter (at least on paper) than previous designs. Despite the change, however, air quality in areas with high wood-heater use isn't falling. There are opposing arguments for why this is happening. Mr Cannon said most wood heaters being used were old and built before the current tight standards. But others, including wood-heater emissions experts such as Dr Todd, said the laboratory protocol used to test heater emissions for compliance with the Australian standards did not reflect how Australians actually used these heaters at home. As a result, Dr Todd said, new wood heaters were up to 10 times more polluting than the standards suggested. "No-one operates heaters the way they're being tested," he said. "The standard assumes everyone is going to operate their heater in the best way possible." Professor Johnston agreed. She and others have called on the Standards Australia wood heater committee to change its compliance testing protocol, which would effectively tighten pollution standards for wood heaters. Professor Johnston said a draft real-world testing protocol would be submitted to the standards committee by the end of the year. "In my view, it's a long overdue [change]. We know we can get better and we haven't done it." Mr Cannon told the ABC he was interested in the emissions research underway at the University of Tasmania, but was reluctant to tighten standards too fast. Committee decisions are made on the basis of consensus, through voting in a formal ballot. Mr Cannon told the ABC the industry was under attack from "health groups" such as the Centre for Safe Air. He said reducing wood-heater emissions was politically necessary "to keep … those types of clean air scientists at bay. The Australian Home Heating Association campaigns against local councils and state and territory governments phasing out wood-heaters via, for instance, newspaper ads and targeted social media campaigns. "It would take five years' worth of research and then it might be five years before [ULEBs] becomes mandated in certain areas," Mr Cannon said. "So it could be, at best, 10 years away." Mr Cannon also said that while he was not convinced by the modelled health impacts of wood-heater smoke, he wanted to accommodate critics in order to avoid a "blanket ban on wood heaters". "What I think and what [I do] representing our industry are not necessarily aligned," he said. "We want to see the longevity of our industry. We could just push back [against critics], but that's going to get us nowhere. "We have to try to be friends." Health groups are calling for a general wood heater ban in urban and high-density areas. Asthma Australia CEO Kate Miranda said the non-profit wanted a "phased transition away from wood-fire heaters in favour of cleaner and healthier heating alternatives" such as reverse-cycle air conditioners. "There is no safe level of exposure [to wood smoke] and even small amounts can cause health effects and trigger asthma symptoms." Professor Johnston said wood heaters had a role in "low-density rural areas" where the smoke could not affect large populations or neighbours, but should be banned in urban areas "where you have to buy firewood". "We live in a highly fire-prone country. We need to manage our fuel loads," she said. If you do have a wood heater, here are some tips to reduce, but not eliminate, smoke:

ABC News
12 hours ago
- ABC News
Australian-made rocket crashes after attempted north Queensland launch
An Australian-designed and manufactured rocket has lifted off in the first launch attempt from home soil, though it crashed shortly after. Gilmour Space Technologies attempted to launch its orbital rocket, called Eris, from a spaceport in the north Queensland community of Bowen on Wednesday morning. The rocket was in the air for less than a minute. Spectators who gathered in Bowen reported hearing a blast and seeing large plumes of smoke at the launch and for some time after. Co-founder Adam Gilmour posted to social media that the company was happy with the launch attempt. "Got off the pad, I am happy," he wrote. "Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this." Gilmour Space released a statement with further information celebrating the unprecedented event. "Today, Eris became the first Australian made orbital launch vehicle to lift off from Australian soil," the statement read. "For a maiden test flight, especially after an extended 18-month wait on the pad for approvals, this is a strong result and a major step forward for Australia's sovereign space capability." The company said Eris had 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight. Initial assessments of the Bowen Orbital Spaceport found launch infrastructure intact. The Gold Coast company tried to proceed with launch attemptsseveral times this year but was hampered by weather and technical issues. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate congratulated the company. "Congratulations to Gilmour Space Technologies on having a crack. They truly exemplify the Gold Coast 'have a go' spirit," Cr Tate said. "They are literally a Gold Coast company aiming for the stars. If you ever wanted an example of how diversified our economy is now, this is it. "We look forward to following their progress in the years ahead." 'Part of history' For Mackay resident Andrew Hyland, this was his third trip to Bowen to witness the rocket take-off. "I've been up here since the first launch was programmed to go," he said. "Being Australia's first launch in 50 years and first Australian-made … it's part of history, you can't miss out on history." Bowen residents Helen and Douglas Tawse were ready to watch the rocket take off from the beach. Ms Tawse said the launch would "put Bowen on the map". Mr Tawse said the launch could generate benefits for the small north Queensland community. "I never thought I'd ever see the day," Mr Tawse said. "If they're talking about more satellites going up, it would have to help Bowen's economy in the long term." Pointed towards the sky, this Australian-first rocket is set to blast a small town into the global spotlight Photo shows A rocket on scaffolding is lifted up on a launch pad. It's taken the Gilmour brothers nearly 10 years to build and design a locally made orbital rocket. Space enthusiasts are set to flock to north Queensland to see it lift off. 'Burgeoning commercial' industry Gilmour Space Technologies has received Australian Government support for its Bowen project, including $5 million for the Eris launch vehicle announced last week. University of Southern Queensland astrobiologist and astronomer, Jonti Horner, said the launch of the Eris rocket was exciting and showed a maturation of the space industry. Professor Horner said that historically, only government-run space agencies had the capability to launch rockets. "In the last decade or so, there has been very much an explosion in our use of space, and that's been because there has been a shift to commercial capacity to put things into orbit," he said. "As soon as it becomes a commercial enterprise, that means the technology is now much more mature and the prices drop hugely, and there is now this burgeoning global industry of commercial spaceflight and the commercial use of space." Gilmour Space Technologies cut its May launch campaign short after staff reported two anomalies on different days. The first was a power supply issue, and the second was the premature opening of the spacecraft's payload fairing, or nose cone. The company hopes to eventually send satellites into orbit from Australia for commercial entities and the government.