Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Science) Share this | Link to 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)

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 1 July 2025, we marked seven years since the official establishment of the Australian Space Agency. But Australia's rich history with space goes well beyond the last seven years. Nearly 60 years ago we played a crucial role in the mission to put the first man on the moon, with the Parkes Observatory coordinating with the NASA Apollo 11 mission. The famous footage we've all seen of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon was broadcast from the Parkes Observatory. More recently, in my own backyard of South Australia, we have played a critical role in the build and operation of several key missions utilising space. The Albanese Labor government values the contribution of the space sector to the Australian economy and to delivering a future made in Australia.

Today, the Australian space sector generates $4.6 billion each year. It employs 17,000 full-time workers across more than 620 organisations nationwide, and it is powering new opportunities for industry, science and sovereign capability. In just a few weeks, Australia will proudly host the 76th International Astronautical Congress, with more than 6,000 attendees expected to attend from over 90 countries. There, the world will see what Australia has built and where we're going. It's absolutely no surprise that space launch applications have increased fivefold since 2021. This is proof of a sector alive with innovation, ambition and investment.

The Australian Space Agency has been central to this momentum, delivering $171 million in grant funding to 91 projects benefiting more than 200 Australian organisations. These programs are enabling companies to develop world-class capability in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Our space agency is also leading on projects that inspire the nation. A $42 million program is supporting the development of the Roo-ver, Australia's lunar rover. The Roo-ver will join NASA on a lunar mission, supporting 50 direct and 100 indirect jobs across 20 Australian organisations. This is a clear sign of how our industry is shaping innovation and providing jobs in Australia.

The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation has also made a $25 million investment in Myriota, a South Australia based company leading the way in satellite telecommunications. Backing companies to succeed is what Future Made in Australia is all about.

Additionally, more than 25 Australian government agencies now rely on space capability every day. Earth observation satellites support over 170 digital programs, the Bureau of Meteorology uses over 30 satellite data streams, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority relies on near real-time satellite data to manage our rivers and Geoscience Australia provides over 35 years of free and open satellite imagery mapping changes to our land and coasts. That is why, in the 2024-25 budget, the Albanese government invested over $200 million to upgrade the Alice Springs ground station and expand advanced data processing and analytics, and this is why the CSIRO continues to connect Australia to the universe, assisting the operation of NASA's Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, the European Space Agency's New Norcia station and our national radio astronomy facilities.

Our achievements in space are not just about satellites and capability; they're about inspiration. Since opening in 2021, the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide has welcomed over 165,000 visitors including 18,000 students. Through outreach programs, our space agency now reaches an average monthly audience of 20 million people through traditional, social and digital media. This is a whole new generation of Australians inspired by space, as much as we were in 1969.

The Southern Launch program is also putting South Australia's best foot forward, operating both the Koonibba Test Range and the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. In 2025 they made history with multiple commercial re-entries at Koonibba. The landing of Varda's W-2 capsule in February was the first return to a commercial spaceport anywhere in the world, followed by the W-3 capsule in May. These missions are pioneering medicine manufacturing in microgravity, developing new pharmaceuticals. In May 2024 Germany's HyImpulse successfully launched its SR75 rocket as well.

Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 1 July this year, we marked seven years since the coalition established the Australian Space Agency. It is a milestone worth reflecting on—not just to measure how far we've come but also to recognise how backwards this Labor government is dragging us. When the coalition launched the agency in 2018, we set out with ambition and direction. We committed more than $2 billion to the civil space sector with a clear outcome to triple the size of the industry to $12 billion and to create 20,000 jobs by 2030.

Our vision was never about prestige or symbolism. Space today is about more than satellites and rockets. It's about building sovereign capability, driving new manufacturing, advancing medical research, strengthening national security and, critically, creating jobs and opportunities in regional Australia. Sadly, Labor has abandoned that vision. This government has ripped $1.2 billion from the National Space Mission for Earth Observation. It has gutted $60 million from the technology-into-orbit program and the space flight subprograms, axed $18 million from the Moon to Mars Global Supply Chain Facilitation and stripped away $32 million that was set aside for co-investment in spaceports and launch sites.

This is not just trimming fat; it is cutting into the bone of our sovereign capability. At a time when advanced economies are racing ahead in space technology, Labor is pulling Australia out of the space race altogether. And here is a great irony—this is not just a story of high-tech labs in capital cities. In Australia, space is built, launched and re-entered in the regions. Space is a regional industry, and, in my electorate of Grey, we are doing it. At Whalers Way in Port Lincoln, the proposed launch site alone is projected to generate more than $500 million in GDP if allowed to realise its potential. It is already attracting rocket manufacturers from around the world, eager to take advantage of our unique geography for sun-synchronous and polar orbits. Whalers Way is not alone. Grey is also home to established launch pads in Koonibba and, of course, the world famous Woomera range—a key asset not just for Australia but for the free world.

It doesn't stop at launch. The re-entry and recovery of space capsules are fast becoming a multibillion dollar opportunity for this country. Just last year at Koonibba, the test range was used for an orbital manufacturing mission by Southern Launch and California's Varda Space Industries. This is cutting-edge work using microgravity and the vacuum of space to produce medicines that cannot be manufactured on earth. These capsules carried ritonavir, an anti-AIDS drug produced in orbit as the zero gravity allows for medicines to form purer, more homogenous crystals. This is not science fiction. This is real manufacturing—a real breakthrough—and it happened in my electorate.

The next step must be ensuring it is not just capsules landing in Australia but companies themselves setting up here. We should be attracting the next generation of pharmaceutical and high-tech manufacturers to establish operations in Australia. That is where the jobs, the value chain and the long-term sovereign capability lie. Space is not a hobby. It is not a photo opportunity; it is a national economic and security priority. It happens in the bush, on the Eyre Peninsula, in the outback and in regions across the country. Labor's cuts will not simply delay a launch or two; they will cost this nation billions of dollars in GDP, tens of thousands of jobs and the chance to lead in one of the most competitive and high-margin industries in the world.

The coalition has already shown what is possible when government provides vision and support. We provided it when we established the agency. We've proved it when we set bold targets and backed them with serious investment. Labor has shown the opposite. Their cuts are short-sighted, reckless and harmful to our national interest. Not investing in space seems contrary to Labor's own policy of regional growth and their flagship programs, seemingly making space a personal issue with Labor.

I call on the government to urgently reprioritise Australia's space sector—restore funding, back our regions and back our sovereign capability. Without that commitment, Australia risks not just losing ground but losing the future itself.

Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll just reiterate what many of the speakers have said here about this motion—this is a very exciting time for the space industry in Australia. It's no wonder that just on this private members' motion there are four South Australians speaking on it. We heard earlier from the member for Grey and the member for Spence. My colleague the member for Sturt is here, as well as myself. It is extremely important to South Australia. We've created a great space industry in South Australia, an innovative industry, and I'm very pleased to represent an area that's called Lot Fourteen, which has lots of these high-tech space industries doing research work and actually producing incredible technology. I visit them regularly, and they're creating the jobs of the future and ensuring that we're creating wealth for our state and the nation. As I said, it's no wonder there are four speakers from South Australia speaking on this particular topic.

It's a very exciting time for the space industry. Space is critical to Australia's future, for everything from national security right through to climate resilience, agriculture, connectivity and economic growth. I'm also proud to co-chair the Friends of Space Industry in this 48th Parliament together with Senator Dave Sharma, a New South Wales senator. In fact, if I could remind all members, tomorrow night we're having our very first event for the 48th Parliament at the Queen's Terrace at 6.30. We will have the entire space industry here. Please come along, speak to the industry and enjoy the festivities that will take place at 6.30 at the Queen's Terrace tomorrow night. This group is open to all parliamentarians and will assist us to remain informed of the role of the space industry in the Australian innovation, technology and scientific fields.

Space capability is essential to supporting the Australian industry and national critical infrastructure—everything from Earth observation capabilities for the climate, satellite communications and GPS to support for Australian national security and defence priority. As fascinated as we are with space, so much of what happens in space makes our lives much easier here on the ground, so a sovereign space industry is, of course, in our long-term national interest and will be a very powerful driver for productivity. All of us South Australians here today, including the member for Grey, the member for Sturt, the member for Spence and me, are aware of how many innovative companies are forging ahead in the space industry, especially at Lot Fourteen in the Adelaide CBD in my electorate, which is home to the Australian Space Discovery Centre as well, and across our vast state from Woomera and the far north to Whalers Way on the Eyre Peninsula, with companies such as Southern Launch, Inovor Technologies, Neumann Space, QuantX Labs, Myriota, Fleet Space Technologies and many, many more.

I was delighted last week to see Inovor Technologies awarded a $1.95 million Industry Growth Program grant to develop their Hyperion satellite that will enable and provide space situational awareness services for defence and commercial customers in Australia and overseas. The aim is to address the need for efficient traffic management to avoid congestion and ensure the sustainability of space activities. The Industry Growth Program support will enable the design, manufacture, test, launch and on-orbit proof-of-concept operation trial of this particular spacecraft. I congratulate Dr Matthew Tetlow, founder and CEO of Inovor, on his hard work in getting to this point. I've been following them very carefully from day one.

The Australian space sector is significant, with a $4.6 billion annual turnover and approximately 17,000 full-time employees and over 620 organisations. We also should be very proud that Australia is hosting the 76th International Astronautical Congress in September, with more than 6,000 attendees from over 90 countries expected to attend in Sydney next month. The Australian Space Agency has delivered $171 million in grant funding to 91 projects, benefiting over 200 Australian organisations. It is an exciting industry, and I commend this.

Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Durack and to restate a simple truth: space is no longer a curiosity at the edge of government—it's a vital sovereign capability which the coalition recognises. National defence, emergency management and agriculture are already dependent on space based services. Think of the Black Summer bushfires. Our emergency services and the Bureau of Meteorology depended on rapid satellite feeds to track fire fronts and smoke plumes in near-real time. Yet Australia owns no Earth-observation satellites.

For the sixth-largest nation by landmass with responsibility for airspace over a vast portion of the globe, that dependence on others is a vulnerability we can no longer accept. Space touches everything: GPS for farmers and freight, climate and water management for our regions, telecommunications for remote communities, precision timing for our financial system and domain awareness for defence. The global space economy is marching towards the trillion-dollar mark. The jobs it generates are high skill, high wage and exactly the kind we want Australian students training for today.

Against that backdrop, Labor's handling of the space industry has lacked both foresight and responsibility, weakening our capacity at the very moment we should be building it. In 2023, within one year of taking office, this Labor government cancelled the coalition's National Space Mission for Earth Observation program—worth over $1.2 billion—abandoning four Australian-built satellites which would have made a significant contribution towards our space capabilities. Further to this, they cut $59.7 million from the technology into orbit program, $18 million from the Moon to Mars global supply chain program and $32.3 million set aside for space ports and launch sites. And, on top of the cuts, the government removed space as an explicit priority from the National Reconstruction Fund. This represents a profound neglect of national priorities—short-termism over strategy. They weaken us by increasing our reliance on foreign satellites and denying the enormous opportunities that a sovereign space capability would bring—opportunities for high-skill jobs, national resilience in times of crisis and the ability for Australia to shape its own future in space rather than rent it from others.

Industry has been blunt. The Space Industry Association warned of defunding without explanation. Across the sector, from satellite manufacturers to launch providers, the message is ultimately the same: uncertainty kills investment. The government says it wants to, 'build things here'. Instead, its actions have taken the sector off the launch pad. By contrast, the coalition has a record of building and of enabling, not smothering, industry. We established the Australian Space Agency in 2018, and we released the Australian Civil Space Strategy to grow the sector to a $12 billion sector and create 20,000 jobs by 2030. We backed industry with substantial investment, including the Moon to Mars initiative and the Trailblazer rover, giving Australian firms pathways into NASA missions and global supply chains. We celebrated achievements that inspire the next generation, like Katherine Bennell-Pegg becoming the first person to complete astronaut training under the Australian flag. Katherine completed her training with the support and the funding of the Australian Space Agency.

Australia needs a sovereign space capability that is designed, built, launched and operated here at home and backed by sustained investment. This is a choice between retreat and resolve. The government, as they do very often, have chosen retreat—cuts, confusion and lost time. The coalition will always choose resolve, and we will work towards a confident and coherent plan to build an emerging and vital industry that serves our economy, our security and, very importantly, our regional communities.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

From the outset, I want to point out that today I'm wearing a tie with an Aboriginal design on it based on the stars, and I want to acknowledge our First Nations people's study of the stars and knowledge over millennia. In more recent times, of course—from the launch of the AUSSAT A-Series satellites in the 1980s to that acquisition by Optus in 1992 to landmark investments in the 1990s and more than $3 billion of investment in the last 25 years—Australia's commercial space capability has significantly evolved. I'll never forget being out in Arnhem Land watching the first commercial space rocket launches that NASA had ever done outside of the continental United States, which were very successful.

We have a growing and dynamic space industry with heaps of emerging innovators, engineers and scientists that are shaping our national space capabilities. We know that Australia's space sector is entering a pivotal phase. Homegrown companies are making global contributions in satellite technology, Earth observation, space exploration and advanced communications. There are even companies, in my electorate of Darwin, who are right now doing horizontal jet engine testing for space related rockets—getting satellites into orbit. So, this is happening now.

Obviously part of the solution for further innovation is government funding. I met with a company called Atomionics during these past couple of weeks in Darwin. We've backed them with some serious federal government funding for their critical technologies. It is but one of many examples around the country where we are backing Australian homegrown innovation.

When it comes to the space sector we know that technologies that enable space missions are so critical to life on Earth, such as when it comes to weather forecasting. And of course in the Top End, where I live and where the member for Leichhardt lives, we're pretty keen on knowing what's going on with the weather, particularly during cyclone season. With climate monitoring, national security implications for space domain awareness, and connectivity across regional and remote communities, we know that space plays an incredibly important role. That's why we're partnering with industry and why we're partnering with innovators—Australian companies partnered with overseas companies—valuing the contribution, as we do, of the space sector to our Australian economy. And of course it's all part of delivering a Future Made in Australia.

Earlier contributors have mentioned the significant funding—$4.6 billion turnover, 17,000 full-time employees and 620 organisations—in the Australian space actor. One of the reasons we are hosting the 76th International Astronautical Congress in September, with more than 6,000 attendees from more than 90 countries, is that people around the world see our focus on space and see how, particularly in the north—in WA, in the NT and in Queensland—our proximity to the equator makes our location ideal for space. I will also mention, as some of our colleagues did earlier, the focus of South Australia on the space industry as well. It's really significant.

The recent Gilmour rocket launch was the first commercial space launch of an Australian made rocket from an Australian spaceport, and I say congratulations to them. As I mentioned before, the one in the Northern Territory previously was the first that NASA had done outside of CONUS, or continental United States. Any way that you look at it, we've had a fivefold increase in space launch applications since 2021. It's a business on the move. It's a serious business and one that our government absolutely supports. The space agency having delivered $171 million into 91 projects is just an example of that.

Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Sovereign Capability) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Durack for raising this vital topic. As member for Dawson and shadow assistant minister for manufacturing and sovereign capability, I have a special interest in Australia's space sector and our sovereign space industry. Recently, the eyes of the nation were on the skies above my hometown of Bowen, where on 30 July a historic event took place. Gilmour Space launched their first test flight rocket, Eris 1, the first Australian-designed, Australian-built and Australian-launched low-Earth-orbit rocket. This was a proud moment for the Australian space sector. It was a proud moment for the local communities of Dawson and, indeed, our country. For the first time, we saw a sovereign launch capability take place right here on our home soil. Families across North Queensland watched on any device they could. I watched it on my phone in the middle of a hall here at Parliament House. It was a major milestone in our national journey to the stars. While the rocket didn't reach low Earth orbit, it successfully lifted off—a major feat for its first launch. More importantly, it delivered critical data that will feed into future launches and support eventual commercial operations. This was far from a failure. It was a bold first step and a giant leap forward for our country's space endeavours.

The Gilmour brothers, James and Adam, who I'm proud to say are good friends of mine, are visionaries. Their work is already inspiring the next generation. Kids in Dawson are now talking about becoming space engineers, scientists and even astronauts. There is now a credible pathway into aerospace for Australian kids. It's not just to be dreamers; they can be doers. The Bowen Orbital Spaceport is strategically located at 20 degrees south and is set to become a national asset. Once Gilmour reaches orbit—and they will—they will send satellites and potentially even crewed missions into space. It could be so much more if only the current government shared the same vision.

The former coalition government laid the foundations for Australia's space future. The coalition established the Australian Space Agency in 2018, investing over $2 billion in the civil space sector, with 20,000 jobs on the horizon by 2030. The coalition backed research and development, including the establishment of SmartSat CRC to focus on telecommunications and next-gen technologies, to support Australian businesses and to participate in NASA's Artemis program. The coalition recognised space as a strategic domain, committing $7 billion to sovereign space capability and establishing Defence Space Command in 2022. The coalition launched the National Space Mission for Earth Observation, a $1.2 billion investment to design, build and operate satellites here in Australia. The coalition backed Gilmour Space directly, awarding a $52 million Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant to support Australian launch capability.

What have the Albanese Labor government done to the space sector since coming to power? They've cut it to pieces. They've slashed $77 million from key programs. Worse still, cuts to programs tied to the needs of our international partner the United States were kept secret. Satellites that would have delivered strategic data to the US have now been shelved without consultation. This undermines the security of other programs where Australia is a beneficiary, like AUKUS. No wonder the Prime Minister struggles to get a meeting with the US President. Labor talk about a future made in Australia, but when it comes to space, a sector brimming with opportunity, they have not shown any serious concern.

We are at a critical juncture. We have the chance to become not just a participant in space but a leader. We can leverage our geophysical advantage, homegrown talent and momentum from the pioneers like Gilmour Space to secure our place in the global space sector. But we must act now. If we invest in our sovereign space capabilities, we can create a thriving space industry—one that delivers jobs. Let's not just look up at the stars; let's boost our sovereign capabilities, advance our space industry and explore the stars. (Time expired)

Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am proud to rise today to speak about the significant part my home state of South Australia is playing in the government's space sector investment and development of sovereign space capability. Like my colleague the member for Adelaide, who spoke before me, I too am proud of Lot Fourteen, which is a seven-hectare site in the heart of Adelaide's central business district. Lot Fourteen is a growing research and innovation district that aims to shoot for the stars, and the district is home to a dynamic community working on cutting-edge technology in defence and space.

The Australian Space Agency is an anchor organisation within the district, working to deliver programs that generate national space capability and infrastructure, unlock international space collaboration and build programs that inspire a future space workforce. Since inception, the Australian Space Agency has delivered $171 million in grant funding to 91 projects, which has benefited over 200 Australian organisations. Importantly, the Australian Space Agency programs have delivered a seven-to-one return on investment on average, making the agency a key part of the Australian space sector. This sector has an annual turnover of $4.6 billion, with 17,000 full-time employees, and comprises some 620 organisations. Lot Fourteen is also the headquarters of the Australian Space Discovery Centre, which, since inception in 2021, has seen 165,000 visitors walk through the door, including 118,000 school students.

South Australia is also the proud home base of Fleet Space Technologies, and I recently met with the general counsel of Fleet Space Technologies, Ms Alicia Genet, to gain an understanding of the critical capability Fleet uses to discover and then create 3D subsurface models of critical mineral deposits. These are essential for Australia's sovereign capability as part of a future made in Australia. They use a fast and environmentally sustainable combination of artificial intelligence, wireless seismic sensors and low-Earth-orbit nanosatellites. The use of traditional exploration methods such as drilling and explosives is reduced, as the nanosatellites produce real-time evidence based insights to ensure critical minerals exploration is more targeted and accurate.

My state again stands out in the space sector as being the headquarters of Myriota, a South Australia based satellite telecommunications company that provides secure and private direct-to-satellite Internet of Things connectivity. Its satellite connectivity is critical for industries like mining that operate in geographically remote locations where connectivity is essential but can be limited. In reflection of the utility of this existing capability, as well as the capability's future potential, the federal government's National Reconstruction Fund Corporation made a $25 million equity investment in Myriota, noting that enabling capabilities of the type produced by Myriota form one of the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation's seven priority areas. These enabling capabilities have the potential to diversify and transform Australian industry across many sectors and include:

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The role of space as a complementary defence capability was also recognised in the 2023 Defence strategic review. Now a domain of its own alongside land, sea, air and cyber, space moved further into conventional thinking as a key component of a more integrated force, taking its place as a key consideration with respect to defence planning. No longer considered as a supporting act to the Australian Defence Force, the shifting of the space domain into the Joint Capabilities Group allows that group to lead the way in terms of ensuring that space capabilities feature in project development, particularly with regard to national and alliance requirements. The Defence strategic review recognised the need to grow Australia's emerging sovereign space capability so that the Australian Defence Force can move beyond dependency on external providers.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.