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National Reconstruction Fund

This Month

Coalition will repurpose $14.5 billion remaining in National Reconstruction Fund.

Coalition to strip $14.5b from key Labor fund

The National Reconstruction Fund was a centrepiece of Labor’s 2022 election pitch to revitalise local manufacturing, but the Coalition has other plans.

March

QuintessenceLabs chief executive Vikram Sharma shows Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic around his Canberra facility.

Labor bets $15m on using quantum technology to fight cyberattacks

The government’s National Reconstruction Fund is the lead investor in a funding round for Canberra-based QuintessenceLabs, which is also backed by Westpac.

January

Young Rich Listers Dimitry (left) and Aengus Tran, founders of medical diagnostic AI start-up Harrison.ai.

Labor pledges $32m to keep Young Rich List AI firm in Australia

The investment comes a day after $1 trillion was wiped off US tech giant Nvidia’s value on concern over Chinese start-up DeepSeek’s cheaper rival to ChatGPT.

Gina Rinehart has a 10 per cent stake in Arafura Rare Earths, which is building the Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory.

Labor boosts backing of Rinehart-backed Arafura to $1b

In its biggest outlay to date, the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund has agreed to take a $200 million equity stake in the rare earths player.

December 2024

Quantum Brilliance’s diamond-based quantum computers are compact and operate at room temperature.

Labor’s manufacturing fund takes stake in quantum tech company

The National Reconstruction Fund has taken a $13 million stake in Quantum Brilliance, which aims to build an Australian-first facility to make diamonds used in quantum computers.

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November 2024

Martijn Wilder and the board of the NRF make commercial decisions independent of the government.

Labor’s $15b reconstruction fund makes landmark first investment

Donald Trump’s retreat from the renewable energy transition is good timing for plans to reboot domestic manufacturing, says the National Reconstruction Fund head.

June 2024

Latitude Financial chief executive Ahmed Fahour.

The fund meant to save Australia held ‘sham’ meetings

The $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund is struggling to find investments, but it is great at holding meetings.

April 2024

Ivan Power

Albanese’s new fund manager CEO doubles down on meetings

The new $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund is already doing strange things, including holding its first two board meetings on the same day.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivers a speech to the Queensland Media Club.

Tritium is ‘a lost opportunity’ for local manufacturing, says PM

The closure of the fast charger company’s Brisbane factory is the sort of thing the government is seeking to prevent with its new policy.

Former Macquarie Group executive Ivan Power has met with banks, superannuation funds and investment managers in private equity and venture capital.

Small business lacks capital, the NRF thinks it has the answer

The new chief of the National Reconstruction Fund wants to use his $15 billion pot to encourage super funds and banks to invest in normally overlooked ventures.

Bells Line of Road is still blocked off by flooding debris.

Floods prompt calls to revive dam wall plan

Residents in the Hawkesbury region experiencing their fifth major flood in two years are urging the government to reconsider a plan to raise Warragamba Dam.

January 2024

Ivan Power

How the new $15b fund boss will revive manufacturing

Former Macquarie Group executive Ivan Power is the boss of the NRF, a key plank of the Albanese government’s agenda to revive manufacturing.

January 2024

Andrew Stevens says industry support should go to firms wanting to expand globally.

Why $30b in business innovation support is not working

Australia has a scale-up and not a start-up problem, a new report has found, with few medium-sized firms hungry to innovate and grow globally.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/national-reconstruction-fund-6gct