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

I commend the member for Grey for the motion and congratulate the member for Wills and the member for Perth for their fantastic contributions. I'm sure the member for Corio will also be good. Thanks to the others for their contributions. It is indeed timely, as everyone has pointed out, with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. I met with US ambassador Arthur B Culvahouse last week and we discussed Australia's role in those events but also the great potential for Australia and, more specifically, the Northern Territory to be part of our space industry into the future—but more on that later.

There is now serious activity in our nation about Australia's space program. The Australian Space Agency was established in July 2018 and is responsible for regulating and authorising Australian space activities, building international partnerships and collaboration on space and transforming our space industry. The aim of this initiative is to help Australian businesses win a greater share of the multibillion dollar global space market and develop space technologies to underpin the long-term competitiveness of many other industries including coms, agriculture—as we've just heard from the member opposite—mining, oil and gas, and it is to be commended.

In the last parliament I was the deputy chair of the industry, innovation, science and resources committee with the member for New England as the chair. We intended to go further into space. In fact we had a round table on space but unfortunately it wasn't followed up with an inquiry. I think the member for New England has gone nuclear, so I think that's where he's headed, but the Northern Territory government has seized the opportunity with the establishment of the Australian Space Agency, and its Territory space industry 2020 policy aims to position the NT to take advantage of this opportunity by growing the Territory's space industry capabilities, connecting Territory industry and businesses with the Australian space economy, supporting the Territory economy to be become space enabled and benefit from advances in the space sector that will lead growth, jobs and innovation.

We all have seen, through the use of space technology for GPS and satellite TV, the important role it plays, and in the Northern Territory, like lots of other places in our nation, important roles in bushfire protection, weather monitoring and providing essential services to the public. In the Northern Territory we have a Canberra based company, Equatorial Launch Australia, ELA, who are working through the required regulatory processes to establish Australia's first commercial launch facility, in East Arnhem Land. I recently received a briefing from ELA on their progress in establishing launch pads near Nhulunbuy in East Arnhem Land. For those who've been up to the Garma festival in Arnhem Land, 20 or so kilometres outside of Nhulunbuy—or Gove, as it is sometimes known—there will be launching pads established there because it is a great place for launching rockets, particularly satellites, because it is quite near the equator, 12 degrees south of the equator. There is also much of the necessary infrastructure in place, such as the port there, and good air access from Darwin and Cairns.

Being close to the equator is important because it makes it easier to get into space from near the equator. In fact, if you're heading up to the moon, you can go direct from Arnhem Land to the moon; whereas, if you're launching from further south, as I understand it—I'm not an expert—you have to do a bit of a lap of the earth before you can head out towards the moon. It is exciting that Equatorial Launch Australia are looking to have their first launches within the coming 12 months. In fact, I know there will be a launch in the coming months.

I was also very pleased recently to meet a group called One Giant Leap Australia which is working with young Australians to develop the skills that we'll need for the innovative space industries of the future. I commend them for their space camps. They have been taking Australians over to the United States for space camps for many years. A bit of an exclusive here today: Space Camp Australia will be constructed in the Northern Territory in the future. I commend the motion to the House.

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