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ABC News
10-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
The regional Australian city of Orange is hoping to become the next Silicon Valley
A regional Australian city, famous for its food and wine, is now hoping to be the world's next Silicon Valley. Orange, in central west New South Wales, is positioning itself as an innovation and agricultural technology (ag-tech) hub, with a growing smorgasbord of entrepreneurs choosing to base themselves in the district. "The running joke at the moment is that Orange is the next Palo Alto or Silicon Valley," Hamish Munro, founder of digital start-up Pairtree, told 7.30. Mr Munro is a former farmer who launched Pairtree — a digital platform that aggregates data — in 2018. He says Orange's proximity to Sydney and the presence of the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Charles Sturt University and University of Sydney Rural Medical School make the district an attractive location for companies like his. It's also close to a variety of agricultural commodities such as horticulture and viticulture which benefit from the cooler climate and rich, volcanic soils from the nearby dormant volcano, Mount Canobolas. The surrounding area is flatter and warmer, meaning it can sustain broadacre cropping as well as sheep and cattle production. One of the biggest jewels in the city's crown is bio-manufacturer Cauldron. The company's global ambition is to tackle food insecurity. "The reason we exist is we're starting to understand that there's scarcity in supply chains," Cauldron CEO Michele Stansfield said. "We're seeing this insecurity around the world in food supply chains, fuel supply chains, chemical supply chains. "All the very large companies are looking at ways to shore up supply chains." Cauldron uses fermentation to create microbes that form the foundation of products like laboratory-made milk and chicken. "The molecules being created from this process are 'nature identical' to what has been created, be it by the cow or the chicken," Ms Stansfield said. "We are absolutely looking to supplement or stretch supply chains, so the food ingredients we use would be used to create 4 billion pieces of cheese instead of 3 billion pieces of cheese. Cauldron has secured contracts with the United States' Department of Defense and Queensland government to build bio labs, but Ms Stansfield says there are no plans to leave Orange. "That's where we screen the clients, we develop the technology, but this is a global problem … and we will locate our factories where it makes economic sense." Cauldron's start-up stablemates include Loam Bio, which grows fungi to help capture more carbon in soil, and Green Timber Technology, which has installed robots in part of Orange's old Electrolux fridge factory to build timber frames for homes. Craig Murphy coordinates regular networking meetings for local entrepreneurs called Innovate Orange, and says the city's smaller start-ups are capitalising on the foundations created by Cauldron and Loam Bio. "We've all tried to kind of hack and build things in our garages and stuff like that, but it's also to bring commercial folks along as well," Mr Murphy told 7.30. "I think if you're looking for a city or a location maybe to bring your ag-tech start up, then you've got to look at what they're doing and go, 'well, that's where I probably should be going.'" Despite the efforts of Innovate Orange, there are concerns a more coordinated approach is needed to allow the city's innovation and ag-tech sector to realise its potential. it is something Ms Stansfield is conscious of and she wants to get the next generation involved. "I'd love for there to be some sort of formal structure that includes the university students a bit more and that, I think, would set us apart," Ms Stansfield said. The federal government wants Australia's agricultural industry to be worth $100 billion by 2030 and considers ag-tech to be key in reaching this goal. Commonwealth grants are available but they are highly competitive and many start-ups are self-funded. "We've got hundreds of thousands of dollars invested out of our personal savings, so you know [the] stakes are really high," startup owner Rony Stephen said. Mr Stephen was living in Sydney's Bondi when he holidayed at a farm stay at Mandurama in the NSW central west in 2021. His background in technology and fascination with farm life inspired him to create a range of gadgets. He worked with farm-stay owner Grant Molloy to design sensors to monitor water levels on troughs and tanks, and GPS ear tags which allow farmers to track their livestock on an app. Mr Stephen eventually moved to Orange to establish his company, Sense My Farm. Mr Stephen though has had to give himself a deadline of the "next year or so" for it to succeed. "Right now we're fully boot-strapped, so there's a limit to how much we can personally invest," he said. Mr Munro hopes companies like Mr Stephen's and Mr Malloy's get additional support to ensure they survive. "Australia is a net exporter of agriculture projects, mining, primary produce, and the real opportunity is really exporting tech," Mr Munro said. Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Arabian Business
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Arabian Business
New study reveals fear for future generations due to climate change
Citizens in a majority of 32 countries sampled in a global study fear for future generations if climate change isn't immediately addressed. Ipsos, in its 2025 People & Climate Change study, reached out globally to over 1,000 individuals in countries from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, and the US, and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, and Türkiye. Global climate change fears In India, the sample consisted of approximately 2,200 individuals, of whom nearly 1,800 were interviewed face-to-face. Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries included in the study were Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The Philippines (82 per cent), Indonesia (81 per cent) and Thailand (75 per cent) recorded the greatest fear about failing future generations by not taking urgent action on climate change. The Philippines and Indonesia led the world in this concern, well ahead of the global average of 64 per cent. As many as 90 per cent of people in the Philippines were worried about the impact of climate change on their country, followed by Indonesia (87 per cent), and Singapore and Japan (both 81 per cent). All the figures were well above the global average of 74 per cent. New Zealand (69 per cent), India (65 per cent) and Australia (64 per cent) were among those below the global average. However, concerns about the impact of a lack of action on future generations dropped the most in Japan, from 59 per cent in 2021 to 40 per cent in 2025. In India, it dropped from 69 per cent in 2021 to 54 per cent in 2025. New Zealand and Australia also recorded a drop, to 62 per cent and 56 per cent respectively, from 69 per cent in 2021. Hamish Munro, CEO, Ipsos APEC, commented: 'APEC nations are the most concerned globally about the future of our planet if immediate action isn't taken on climate change. The economic and social impact from climate change is becoming a more regular 'event', heightening awareness and the need for individuals and businesses to act now to future-proof our planet. 'Most APEC nations expect their government to tackle climate change, saying they were confident in their plans, particularly around collaboration with businesses and the community. This demonstrates the need for governments to lead in the climate change action space and reassure citizens that it's possible to address climate change now, and into the future through policy and regulatory change.' Most APEC nations believe their governments have a clear plan for how government, businesses, and people are going to work together to tackle climate change. Six in 10 people in Indonesia and Malaysia were confident in their government's plans, followed by 58 per cent in Singapore and Thailand and 56 per cent in India. These were far higher than the global average of 32 per cent. There was a mixed concern among APEC nations on the impact of the transition to green energy. In some countries, like Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, around half of those surveyed believe transitioning to renewable energy will lead to an increase in household energy prices. That number dropped to 39 per cent in India and 34 per cent in the Philippines. Only 44 per cent of respondents in India believed that the past 10 years have been the warmest on record – the lowest level globally. In Thailand, 68 per cent of people agreed that climate change is the single biggest threat facing humanity.
