Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Science) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) that 1 July 2025 marks seven years since the official establishment of the Australian Space Agency;

(b) the former Government committed more than $2 billion towards the civil space sector after the Agency's establishment, as part of our goal to triple the domestic sector to $12 billion and to create an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030; and

(c) the current Government's significant cuts to Australia's space sector, including:

(i) $1.2 billion from the National Space Mission for Earth Observation;

(ii) $59.7 million from the Technology into Orbit program and the space flight tickets subprograms;

(iii) $18 million from the Moon to Mars global supply chain facilitation; and

(iv) $32.3 million slated for co-investment in space ports and launch sites; and

(2) calls on the Government to reprioritise Australia's space sector, including investing in our sovereign capability.

Since I stepped into the role of shadow minister for science, it's been great to reconnect with many in our civil space sector who I got to know well when I was the Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Science and Technology. When we were in government, we understood that Australia's potential was at the forefront of the space revolution. Our geographic location, vast open spaces, clear skies and homegrown talent and innovation provide us with a massive advantage. But we knew these advantages weren't enough. Australia would not become a global leader in space simply by accident. So we set out to make this happen, with a goal to triple the domestic space sector to $12 billion and to create an extra 20,000 jobs by 2030.

We established the Australian Space Agency in July 2018 to coordinate civil space matters across government and to support the growth and transformation of Australia's space industry. We created the SmartSat CRC, Australia's largest space industry research collaboration, focusing on telecommunications, intelligent satellite systems and next-generation Earth observation. We also committed $225 million to Geoscience Australia to deliver centimetre-level positioning accuracy across mobile coverage areas; $150 million to support Australian businesses and researchers to participate in NASA's Artemis program, including $50 million for an Australian-made lunar rover; and a further $300 million towards astronomy research infrastructure associated with the Square Kilometre Array—which just happens to be located in the great electorate of Durack—for deep space observation. In total, the coalition committed more than $2 billion towards a civil space sector after we had established the Australian Space Agency. Notably, this does not take into account the significant investment in developing sovereign defence space capability.

Unfortunately, the change of government demonstrated a stark difference between the coalition's vision for space as being central to both national security and economic prosperity and Labor's vision for space as simply being a budget line to cut.

Nothing demonstrates this more than the National Space Mission for Earth Observation, which was abandoned by this government in June 2023. This $1.2 billion investment would have seen Australia design, build and operate four new satellites. It would have created 500 jobs, at least, and had an anticipated supply network of more than 100 Australian companies. This investment, as noted by the head of the Australian Space Agency, would take us from a consumer to a contributor of Earth observation data. The information we get from Earth observation is central to everyday life, from forecasting weather and responding to natural disasters through to managing the environment and supporting our farmers. So, consider this cut in terms of this government's so-called Future Made in Australia agenda; with decisions like this, those opposite have said no to this future.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 17 : 10 to 17 : 24

The then CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia lauded NSMEO as the most strategic and significant space public policy in 40 years. He also said Australia must be a country that makes things again and that the decision to cut NSMEO will leave Australia dependent upon foreign providers and discourage global partners from engaging with Australia. In successive budgets, Labor ripped millions out of key initiatives, including the Australian Spaceports program, the Australian Technology into Orbit program and the high-profile Moon to Mars program. But Labor weren't upfront about their plans. In fact, Labor criticised the coalition for not investing enough and said they were concerned by our dependence on foreign nations. Unfortunately, their decisions have solidified that dependence. As Malcolm Davies from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said, if we're going to have sovereign space capabilities, then we need somewhere to launch from, which I think is a pretty commonsense approach. It is past time that spaceport sites get up and running, and it's not just about money.

With the time remaining, I want to acknowledge that I recently met with the founder of WA Spaceport. She has a proposal to establish an orbital launch facility in Albany. Unfortunately, there seems to be some hold-up with the WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage, threatening this project's success. I've written to the WA minister, but I think this is something that Minister Ayres should take some notice of and get involved in. (Time expired)

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