Briefcase: Business snippets from major awards to new defence research funding
In this week’s Briefcase, the state’s copper exports hit a new record, while a prime CBD location gets snapped up by investors.
- Four SA women recognised at annual Impact Awards
- Multimillion-dollar expansion of defence innovation funding
- Kelsian and Journey Beyond deal gets watchdog green light
- Copper exports hit new record
- Rare earths processing advances
- CBD car park purchased by investors
Four SA women recognised at annual Impact Awards
Four SA women have been recognised for their contribution to the community, industry and social change at Government House for the 2026 SA Women of Impact Awards.
Susan Dixon, a Kaurna and Narungga woman with more than 40 years of advocacy experience in Aboriginal education, health, housing and women’s rights, received the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Impact Award.
Dr Marie-Claire Seely, founder of the Australian POTS Foundation, received the award for impact in the community, acknowledging her commitment to improving the lives of people with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
The Impact on Ending Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Award was granted to Stacy Nelan, a survivor advocate, recognising her work to end and represent voices of domestic, family and sexual violence for more than 12 years.
Jane Pickering, CEO of Eldercare Australia, received the Impact in Industry Award for her 48-year career in health and aged care, advancing gender equity and women’s representation in leadership.
“These women’s stories and efforts are remarkable and will inspire others,” Minister for Women Katrine Hildyard said.
Multimillion-dollar expansion of defence research funding
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SA researchers and businesses will have more opportunities to develop defence technology through a $10 million expansion of the Defence Innovation Partnership (DIP).
The funding would be invested over four years to expand three programs that strengthen collaboration between South Australian universities, defence, and industry.
The Activator Fund would provide $1.6 million per round for research and development projects, while the Collaborator Fund would offer up to $400,000 per project for research in areas including artificial intelligence, space-based advanced threat warning, and information resilience.
A third program, the Connector Fund, is expected to launch in early 2027 to support partnerships between SA organisations and international collaborators.
All projects must be led by a SA university or industry partner and include partnerships across all three sectors.
“The Defence Innovation Partnership provides a proven pathway for defence, researchers and industry to work together on complex challenges and develop solutions with a clear pathway to impact,” Defence Innovation Partnership director Sumen Rai said.
Kelsian and Journey Beyond deal gets watchdog green light
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has approved the $161 million sale of SA-based Kelsian’s tourism portfolio to Journey Beyond.
It paves the way forward for the transaction to go through, expected to happen in this half of the financial year.
Copper exports hit new record
SA’s copper exports have reached a record $5.57 billion in the year to July 2026 according to new Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
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The latest figure surpasses the previous record of $5.3 billion for the 2025-26 financial year, reflecting copper’s growing value to the state’s resources sector.
Figures were released shortly after the Copper to the World conference in Adelaide, where more than 600 delegates from around the world gathered, including industry leaders, mining executives and innovators.
SA holds two-thirds of Australia’s known copper resources, with established operations including BHP’s projects in the states far north alongside emerging developments across regional SA.
“Another record in copper exports is a powerful signal that South Australia’s copper story is not just about future potential, it is delivering for our economy right now,” Energy and Mining Minister Tom Koutsantonis said.
Rare earths processing advances
Australian Rare Earths has advanced its rare earths processing pilot to the next phase, CEO Travis Beinke saying the “pilot program was off to an excellent start”.
The milestone is “significant”, a statement to shareholders reads, and marks the company’s transition from demonstrating rare earth extraction to producing a concentrated intermediate rare earth product.
“We have successfully established rare earth recovery through heap leaching and are now validating the first downstream processing state required to convert those rare earth-bearing liquors into a saleable product,” Beinke told shareholders.
CBD car park purchased by investors
A 500-bay, multi-deck car park in Adelaide’s CBD has been sold to an Adelaide-based investor.
The seven-level facility at 90-100 Grenfell Street, adjacent to Rundle Mall, was purchased by Ryan Mills and Max Frohlich of Knight Frank, in conjunction with Ian Thomas and Alistair Laycock of CBRE.
It is regarded as one of Adelaide’s strongest-performing parking assets, benefiting from demand from office workers, retail visitors and the city’s growing residential population.
The property attracted strong interest from a range of private investors, reflecting growing demand for commercial assets that offer limited operational risk.
“The competitive process ultimately resulted in a sale at a premium to book value, reflecting the quality of the asset and the strength of the Adelaide investment market,” Mills said.
The car park’s location and limited future supply have also supported its long-term performance.
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