• Work begins on Parafield Airport shopping centre
• Nova Systems to establish ‘Centre of Excellence’ to support sovereign defence capability
• Registrations open for First Nations business event
• Time ticking for businesses to seek priority domain name

Work begins on Parafield Airport shopping centre

An artist’s rendition of the new District Outlet Centre in Adelaide’s northern suburbs. Image: supplied

Construction has begun on a new $50m shopping precinct in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.

Situated on the commercial precinct of the Parafield Airport, the District Outlet Centre (DOC) will host more than 45 national and international brands under one roof.

Devwest Development Director Brett Lovett said a single-level ‘racetrack’ design was developed to offer a streamlined and easy shopping experience.

“We have aligned with some of the best builders, architects and agents in the business to ensure the District Outlet Centre at Parafield Airport is everything Adelaide shoppers are looking for,” Lovett said in a statement.

“Located on one of Adelaide’s busiest main roads and with ample parking available, the centre is set to be a go-to affordable shopping destination.”

Parafield Airport’s executive general manager of property James Sangster said the project would significantly boost economic growth in the northern suburbs, creating hundreds of construction and retail jobs.

“The DOC sits within our rapidly growing commercial precinct which is home to a variety of other retail and commercial businesses,” Sangster said.

Sangster said the centre will have “a focus on sustainable practices” and will feature a 500KW solar system on the roof to reduce its carbon footprint.

The DOC is slated to be completed in the first half of 2023, with Realmark Commercial having already secured brands such as PUMA, Sketchers and Timberland.

-Sophie Holder

Nova Systems to establish ‘Centre of Excellence’ to support sovereign defence capability

Nova Systems CEO Jim McDowell speaking at the SETE conference in Canberra last week. Photo: supplied

South Australian engineering company Nova Systems will invest $2 million to establish a “Test and Evaluation Centre of Excellence”.

The central hub will support sovereign defence capability and research, digital technologies, training, and ideas – bringing together defence, industry and academia to deliver integrated joint force Test and Evaluation (T&E) and capability assurance.

The concept was announced on September 13 by Nova Systems Chief Executive Officer Jim McDowell at the 2022 Systems Engineering Test & Evaluation (SETE) conference in Canberra.

McDowell said the establishment of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) would cement the company’s position as a leader in T&E.

A spokesperson for Nova Systems said the location for the hub is yet to be determined.

“Nova Systems will now seek interest from State Government, industry and academia to partner with us on this whole of nation initiative and determine where it will be located,” the spokesperson said.

The Nova Systems T&E CoE will support the acceleration of emerging technologies, enable collaboration across industry and academia to develop sovereign T&E capability, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the Australian T&E workforce.

It will also deliver innovation, Research and Development activities, T&E practitioner training and professional short courses, and subject-matter experts in the field of T&E to distribute in-depth knowledge through training, conferences, seminars, concepts and papers.

“In the face of increasing global uncertainty, new threats, reduced warning time and insecure global supply chains, it’s a significant time in our history to secure our sovereign capabilities,” McDowell said in a statement.

“The Nova Systems T&E Centre of Excellence will support our common goal of keeping Australia safe and secure now and for our future generations.”

-Katarina Bozic

Registrations open for First Nations business event

The First Nations Business Showcase is set to take place on Thursday, October 27 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

All levels of industry buyers, including government and non-government organisations, will have a chance to connect face-to-face with South Australia’s First Nations Business sector at the event.

This showcase was created by The Circle – First Nations Entrepreneur Hub, an initiative of the state and federal governments.

The event will give industry buyers the opportunity to learn about the sector and its capacity and capability.

It also provides an outlet for First Nations businesses to demonstrate how they can provide goods and services in supply chains across small, medium and major projects.

The Circle’s business development support partners will be contributing by providing advice and answering questions about First Nations entrepreneurs and business owners.

The Circle is now accepting registrations for First Nations owned businesses (exhibitor and attendee) and buyers from the industry, government or non-government (attendee).

The event will be on from 9am to 3pm on October 27.

Tickets are available on Humanitix, with registrations closing on Friday 14 October.

–Claudia Dichiera     

Time ticking for businesses to seek priority domain name

Australian website holders have until 9.29AM ACST on September 21 to apply for priority allocation of a “.au” direct domain name that matches their existing “.com.au” domain name.

If a priority application is not made for the matching “.au” domain by the deadline, it will become available for registration by anyone in the public from 7.30AM ACST on October 4.

The direct domain name initiative will simplify and shorten domain names; however, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has warned it may open a new avenue for opportunistic cybercriminals.

If businesses continue to use a “.com.au” website, a cybercriminal may impersonate the business using a .au website, the ACSC said.

The ACSC recommends business help reduce this risk by registering for the priority allocation before September 21.

You can apply for priority access through your registrar, for more information check out the Priority Application Process.

-Sophie Holder