The Melancholic Seeker

Two resident Australian Defence Force cadet units are at risk of being disbanded or amalgamated if the Department of Defence fails to find new homes before handing Leeuwin Barracks to the Department of Finance for sale.  The federal government has identified the barracks as a property to be ‘fully divested’ under the Defence Estate Audit, with a Defence department representative saying it is hoping to complete the disposal process within a two-year period during a community information session earlier this month. This will include efforts to rehome the 56 Army Cadet Unit and the air force cadets’ 703 City of Fremantle Squadron. Both have a lengthy history and legacy relating to the East Fremantle site, the former establishing itself at the barracks after the then HMAS Leeuwin was transferred over to the army from the navy in the 1980s, and the latter being established during the Second World War under the auspeices of the Air Training Corps. The department’s official position is th...

A new university-level micro credential will prepare the local defence industry workforce to support and maintain visiting nuclear submarines to Western Australia, with the initial intake of 40 students completing the course earlier this week. The ‘Naval Nuclear Foundations: Technology and Assurance’ course is being offered at Curtin University and aims to up-skill current defence industry professionals in what is dubbed ‘nuclear literacy’ by the university’s partner H&B Defence. According to a statement in December last year, the company said several places in the initial intake were reserved for small and medium enterprises working in the Henderson shipyard precinct, located south of Perth. Managing director Tim Brown said the course gave participants the technical grounding and foundation to working in a nuclear-regulated environment. “Partnering… with Curtin University ensure(s) the course is delivered to the highest academic and industry standards,” he said. “(And) with Hender...

(The following is an article that was posted on Wednesday 20 August 2025 on themelancholicseeker.wordpress.com. Please note that the information contained is dated and may not be accurate.) A Western Australian company hopes to prove the economic viability of hydrogen on an industrial scale with the official opening of its pilot plant in Kwinana, located south of Perth, on Monday. Carbon280 CEO Mark Rheinlander said the A$16 million facility will address a significant bottleneck in the hydrogen supply chain – namely the need to make hydrogen, a volatile element – safe enough to store at ambient temperature and pressure, which in turn makes it easier to transport. “Rather than transporting a highly flammable gas you are storing and transporting a safe, low-cost liquid that stores hydrogen under ambient conditions,” he said. “Low-cost and ease of handling will simplify and speed (up) the implementation of hydrogen projects globally, enabling hydrogen use in applications and geographies w...