Peter, if I were in your shoes I would contemplate establishing a working relationship with the Raptor Photonics guys (they are based in Ireland, fwiw) They have a rep in Australia (in Perth) but his business is pretty much oriented towards the security industry.
Here is the link to the press release for the icx-694 Kingfisher V :
http://www.raptorphotonics.com/lates...g-to--111-c-27
The 2.8Mp camera you alluded to is based on the icx-674 chip (not the icx-694)
The main issues I see with this camera are that it currently has zero penetration in to the amateur market so probably isn't supported by the popular software vendors (at this time) It has has the field limitations defined by the physical dimensions of the icx-694 chip (not a big issue depending on target) And lastly, Alluxa really needs to step up to the plate for this camera to work at its best.
Other than that, it is without peer. (But somewhat irrelevant to Griz's original question)