Global Scans · Australia · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Australia will no longer be known for being as dependant on the export of natural resources over the next half century as in 2012. The need for new infrastructure to meet the strong population and economic growth of Australia will continue to be a priority for the medium term. There's no doubt the aftermath of China's credit boom poses a much bigger economic threat to Australia than Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. The Growth rate for Australia is expected to be stronger, although still below the long-term trend.

• [New] South Australia leads the world in the uptake of wind and solar - which together accounted for 75% of its local electricity demand over the last 12 months - and has set a world-leading target of reaching 100% net renewables by the end of 2027. no2nuclearpower
• [New] Under AUKUS, Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines for the first time, with total costs estimated between A$ 268 billion and A$ 368 billion by 2050. Caliber.az
• [New] The population of Australia is predicted to increase due to changes in net migration and natural change, standing at a total of 32.1 million citizens by 2040. Euromonitor
• [New] The next phase of Australia Post's sustainability framework will focus on decarbonization across operations and supply chains, reducing impact through smarter packaging, waste reduction and reuse, and exploring how Australia Post can enable Australia's circular economy for customers and communities. Mirage News
• [New] Adnoc has been even more active, with $52 billion in deals including an $18.7 billion bid for Australian producer Santos, a $15.5 billion acquisition of German chemicals group Covestro, and plans to create a $60 billion chemicals company, Borouge Group International. Caliber.az
• [New] The LAND 400 Phase 3 Project will see 129 IFVs delivered to the Australian Army. Electro Optic Systems
• [New] Manufacturing of the RWS will be undertaken at EOS' facility in Canberra, drawing on a well-established national supply chain of more than 100 Australian companies. Electro Optic Systems
• [New] There is a critical need for a public health strategy that targets dementia risk in rural and regional Australia. Home
• [New] In Australia, about 425,000 Australians are living with dementia, with more than one million projected to have dementia by 2065. Home
• [New] Physicists in Australia and Britain have reshaped quantum uncertainty to sidestep the restriction imposed by the famous Heisenberg uncertainty principle - a result that could underpin future ultra-precise sensor technology used in navigation, medicine and astronomy. ScienceDaily
• [New] The HEP B PAST program has been recognised at a national level for its groundbreaking work, and has been recommended in national strategies as a successful model that could be rolled out in other jurisdictions to help eradicate hepatitis B in Australia. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Australia has real potential to pursue cohesion through policies that foster cultural and creative engagement. A New Approach
• [New] Nuclear energy could work in Australia but the uncertainty caused by the lack of bipartisanship threatens to drive up power prices. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] In regional security, the AUKUS agreement survived a Pentagon review, confirming that the U.S. will proceed with submarine sales to Australia and reinforcing commitments to strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. China-US Focus
• [New] Southern hemisphere crops appear to be good and Australia estimates that production in 2025 will be high and potentially a record. www.feedlotmagazine.com
• [New] Australia and Turkey remain locked in negotiations over hosting rights, and could even agree to share them, as the federal government intensifies efforts to resolve the diplomatic impasse. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] Australia must control its own destiny, not outsource it to become part of someone else's unmanageable risk, the retired submarine specialist wrote. The Nightly
• [New] Australia is unlikely to see its first domestically built AUKUS-class boat enter service until the 2040s. Defence Connect
• [New] Australia's Director-General of Security, Mike Burgess, has warned of record activity, and the Australian Institute of Criminology has estimated that espionage cost more than $12 billion in just one year. The Strategist
• [New] The Big Four banks will be reading the latest Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) data with apprehension after it revealed that their largest challenger, Macquarie Bank, surpassed $150 billion in housing loans for the first time in August. Mortgage Professional
• [New] Australia says it wants to use COP 31 to highlight urgent climate threats faced by Pacific nations and champion Pacific calls for more ambitious action, and Canberra has been careful to keep officials and leaders from the region briefed on the protracted discussions. Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• [New] The federal government has already handed over $1.6bn to the US to support America's shipbuilding capacity, with delivery of the first Virginia-class submarines to Australia in the early 2030s contingent on the US ramping up production. The Guardian
• [New] Australia is on track to seeing the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force-West in 2027, when US nuclear-powered submarines will begin rotating out of HMAS Stirling. Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Last updated: 10 October 2025