https://www.diatreme.com.au
Canem Malum,
try this

I remember someone was saying that better container handling capabilities would also go a long way to making Australian ports more efficient- there are some union issues here. Singapore is a good example of close integration between ports and rail in the modern era- Germany and Britain in history also had effective transportation - and Australia doesn't have the same problems of land scarcity- Singapore has an advantage of being in a key geographical location- not so far away from the Port of Darwin (which China has interest in).

Some articles on the geopolitics of logistics-

http://mir-initiative.com/projects/white-book/vladimir-yakunin/the-geopolitics-of-transportation.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692319303783

http://www.generixgroup.com/en/blog/geopolitical-affairs-supply-chain

In business one issue that comes up is the ability to throw money at a project. For smaller countries this access to capital can be used to starve smaller competitors- it seems in this context that it's important to negotiate with small neighbours for mutual interest- often at the risk of upsetting the larger countries. This doesn't mean that smaller countries should take bigger capital risks. Some places use special trade zoning and policies- Singapore's internal and external economies are treated differently.

In many cases train cargo is more cost effective than passenger transport.

Internal logistics through Australia Post appears to have had an impact on internal business where as international postal agreements appears to be enabling asymmetric Chinese advantage.

To Individual- Yes this looks interesting. Seems that they are saying that there is premium silica at some of the sites suitable for high end glass and solar panels.

We should perhaps be making the solar panels in these Australian regional areas and selling the panels to Asia. This would provide numerous jobs to regional areas and they could be shipped from nearby ports.

We should be looking at perhaps making high end glass products- maybe fibre optic cable.

Foundry silica could perhaps be used to create world class steel products for specialist applications.

We should use our natural resources to build the products where possible- rather than just selling the natural resources

We should use our natural resources to build the products where possible- rather than just selling the natural resources
Canem Malum,
That's precisely my argument. One would think Fed & State Govt would bend back over forward to support an Australian Company to establish industry here. Why don't we hear of that happening ?
Is the Australian Psyche such that the wait for massive profit is unbearable for most ? At least that's my perception !
On the other hand Australian Authorities have a tendency to put up hurdles at 5-times the cost of bridges ! It sounds ok to say that foreign investors can't take it with them. That's correct but what China will do is take over the land by way of Debt recovery & that's the real problem here.
Once they have a foothold here, there'll be no stopping them. WAKE UP AUSTRALIANS AND AUSTRALIAN GOVT !

Individual said- "One would think Fed & State Govt would bend back over forward to support an Australian Company to establish industry here. Why don't we hear of that happening ?"

My understanding of these things is not as good as Hasbeen.

Business relies on three components- skills, resources, money- there are others but I'll keep it simple. Getting money can be challenging- so can getting skills- especially in a competitive market. Also good silicon is not the only resource requirement.

Skills include technical and management expertise as well as logistics , negotiating capabilities and of course buyers of your products.

Buyers- China and the US are both fierce negotiators- and Australia is unlikely to be able to supply at the required scale and if we can it could be very risky. You could try approaching smaller US businesses and supply them on a competitive basis. You would need some sympathetic supporters in the US. Of course the larger suppliers would fight to stop another competitor entering the market.

Sounds like some careful tactics would need to be employed.
You can use joint partnerships in these situations, but the larger partner usually gets the lions share of the profits. Still I believe that we can supply to the Australian market and use this to slowly build capacity in other regions.

Short term gains are more easily funded perhaps but at the expense of the future.

Short term gains are more easily funded perhaps but at the expense of the future.
Canem Malum,
That & the lack of patience for profits appear to be the crucial points in business here. I wonder how much longer it'll be before businesses here realise that continuing past failed practises is no longer the way forward !

Watching a movie starring Sean Connery just now, a Japanese Company Director said 'If you don't want the Japanese to buy iy, don't sell it" !
Doesn't get any clearer than this !