Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In December last year I presented the report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources entitled The now frontier: developing Australia's space industry. On 11 November 2020 the committee adopted an inquiry into developing Australia's space industry and was asked to focus on how the Australian government can support and encourage the space industry while preserving and protecting the space environment.

Space is an industry that inspires, fascinates and excites people. Generally rockets and astronauts come to mind when we think about the space industry, but in fact it's technology and equipment that are very much part of our day-to-day lives. There are enormous opportunities for individuals, organisations and communities to take advantage of this growing sector, particularly in regional and rural areas.

Most Australians are familiar with our nation's involvement in the moon landing in 1969—a little bit before my time—and the tracking stations at Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes, in New South Wales, that relayed images back to earth of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon. This followed the rocket-testing program in the late fifties at Woomera, in South Australia, as part of the Australian government's Weapons Research Establishment. But perhaps less familiar to Australians is the continued use of space based technologies and applications in our daily lives. Mobile phones, the internet, weather forecasting, GPS technology and banking services all rely on data derived from space.

Space related technologies—robots, drones, remote sensors and artificial intelligence—were once considered those of the future but are now very much where we are. For Australia to be competitive, we need to not only foster these technologies and their applications but ensure that we have the right people, with the right skills and expertise, to make it happen. Australia needs to position itself—it must position itself—to capitalise on these opportunities. Australia enjoys natural and structured advantages that can be leveraged to benefit us socially and economically. Our geography and landscape, education and training systems, technical expertise and international partnerships and agreements all combine to form an important foundation for access to the global space industry supply chain and the development of sustainable commercial activities.

The Australian government has set a goal to grow the domestic space sector by $12 billion and create an additional 20,000 jobs. The report presented last year makes recommendations designed to support this growth and beyond. Some of these recommendations include the call for an overarching vision of the industry in Australia, to inspire confidence and investment in our space capabilities and give an increased visibility of space across the government and parliament.

Importantly, space is an accessible industry to those wishing to pursue a career in this field. The sector presents many opportunities for young Australians, and the need to grow a workforce to support it is paramount. There are a range of professions not generally associated with the space industry, such as law, medicine, project management, communications and business, that will be able to support and facilitate Australia's industry to grow to an internationally competitive sector. Further, there is so much potential for our rural and regional areas to benefit from and get involved in Australia's space sector. This includes the links between our regional industries and the space sector; the application of space related technology and infrastructure to agriculture, health and telecommunications; and, of course, the uptake of regional education and training to better equip young people to build their careers in the industry.

This is an exciting time for the Australian space industry, with awe-inspiring work already being done here. In terms of growing the future workforce, the report tabled in December identified the need for greater education of young people in science, technology, engineering and maths. We had evidence that most of the higher level jobs are filled by those who have been educated overseas. We need to make a change in that regard and encourage education at a university level in both space engineering and aeronautical engineering, rather than look overseas.

David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I would like to extend my belated congratulations to Mr Enrico Palermo, who became the head of the Australian Space Agency last year. Mr Palermo has a decorated career in physics and mechanical engineering, having spent over 14 years at Virgin Galactic at the time of his departure as both Chief Operating Officer of Virgin Galactic and President of the Spaceship Company.

When it comes to space exploration and space industry I am fortunate to represent the electorate of Bean. We are home to the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex, which is one of only three deep space network stations around the world. Its dishes are a remarkable sight to see against the beautiful backdrop of Tidbinbilla and, in true Australian fashion, there are cattle around its base. Just as its predecessor at Honeysuckle Creek played a critical role in the first moon landing, with footage of that first giant step coming from Bean, the CDSCC has played critical support roles in the Apollo space missions to the moon, the Skylab space station and the early flights of the space shuttle. It has been involved in hundreds of other missions since its establishment in 1965 and today is providing vital around-the-clock contact with more than 30 spacecraft on deep space missions.

The deep space complex, together with other critical space infrastructure across Australia, is a tribute to our skills and expertise in the space industry and what we can achieve. Bean is also home to the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, including the Mount Stromlo Observatory, and EOS's satellite laser ranging facility, which is also based at Mount Stromlo. This region has decades of experience in satellite technology. We can build on our proud legacy. It makes sense for this region to be one of the hubs of such activity. We continue to have the science, technology, infrastructure and skills to punch significantly above our weight in the global space industry, but it's critical that we make the investment in TAFE and university places that will underpin this industry for decades to come. Only a Labor government will do so.

Not only does the space industry have value and importance for space exploration; space based applications impact our everyday lives and are particularly important for Australia. For example, supermarkets use satellite navigation in their delivery fleets, autonomous and driverless vehicles rely on satellite navigation enhancements, emergency and disaster relief responses rely on specialised satellite imagery, and adaptation to climate change relies on space data. The pace at which space based technologies and innovation are developing is set to revolutionise the way we live. Increasingly it's where money is being made, where jobs are being created and where industry is being undertaken, and it is expected to grow exponentially. Estimates of its global value into the 2040s range between $1 trillion and $3 trillion, and data shows that for every dollar invested there is a direct return of between $2 and $10. It's a tremendous opportunity for Australia going forward.

Labor have been calling to expand Australia's space industry for many years. We sought an Australian space science and industry agency to ensure that we did not miss out on the opportunities a space industry provides. We understand its capacity to create thousands of new high-skill, high-wage jobs in advanced manufacturing, research, earth observation and space technologies, but additionally a range of professions are needed to support that industry, creating new jobs in law, medicine, project management, communications and business.

Currently, Australia ranks 18th among the G20 countries for government investment in space as a percentage of GDP. Globally, it's about one to 1.5 per cent of the global effort. It's clear we need to capture a bigger slice of the space market.

Labor welcomed the establishment of the Australian Space Agency in 2018, and I'd like to acknowledge the importance of the agency and the role it has played in strengthening the industry. As someone who worked closely with the engineers and scientists in the sector, I say that funding announcements, while welcome, need to be backed up with clear plans for such investment, and, critically, this needs to include an investment in skills. Let's hope that these are the first steps in what will become a giant leap for Australia's space industry.

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

In the heart of my electorate of Adelaide, on the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site, a real industry transformation is happening, and what's known as Lot Fourteen has become the national hub for the space industry in Australia. It is home to the Australian Space Agency, the Australian Space Discovery Centre and Mission Control Centre and the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre. It is also home to over 90 private companies, research and educational institutions and government departments in this sector.

This is an industry that has enormous potential to generate much-needed local manufacturing and high-tech jobs for SA and beyond. The target in Australia is to triple the size of the space sector to $12 billion by 2030. In addition, it is estimated that around 1.4 million companies across Australia will benefit from the growth of the space industry.

Adelaide company Fleet Space Technologies, also based at Lot Fourteen, is a perfect example. Fleet, run by its amazing CEO, Flavia Tata Nardini, has grown from three staff in 2015 to about a hundred today. It made history in 2018 when it launched the country's first commercial nanosatellites into low earth orbit. Since then, it's gone from strength to strength. Fleet is now planning to build a satellite hyperfactory at the Australian Space Park at Adelaide Airport. It will be the nation's first dedicated space manufacturing hub once it is completed. And now Fleet has opened its first office in Houston and is partnering with NASA to put the first woman on the moon.

With the sector growing by around 50 per cent over the past 10 years, companies such as Fleet will need a whole generation of highly skilled technicians, mathematicians, engineers, physicists, chemists et cetera, and this will be South Australia's—and, indeed, Australia's—great opportunity and challenge. We need to ensure that we are training people locally to fill these jobs locally. And that starts in the very, very early years. So, in addition to ensuring that our universities and TAFEs are responsive to the growing demands of this industry, we need to inspire children, from their earliest years, to see the beauty and potential of STEM subjects.

The Andy Thomas Space Foundation, launched in November 2020, will also play an important role in this, and I'd like to acknowledge its CEO, Nicola Sasanelli. The foundation, also based at Lot Fourteen in my electorate, will be an interface between the space industry and the wider Australian community. It will support education and training from primary to tertiary levels and promote career opportunities in this expanding sector. The Australian Space Discovery Centre, also based at Lot Fourteen, will play an additional role in sparking young people's imaginations through school programs and other learning initiatives.

I, too, take this opportunity to congratulate the new head of the Australian Space Agency, Mr Enrico Palermo, on his appointment. He brings a great deal of industry and corporate experience, which can only benefit this industry.

I'd like to congratulate all the companies, agencies and investors who have believed in Adelaide and South Australia. It is thanks to these people that we are starting to see the much-needed return of manufacturing and technology in this country.

But I would also like to pay my respects to the former South Australian Labor government, under the leadership of Jay Weatherill, whose foresight at the time—and I remember having discussions with him and him saying how important this industry was—was the catalyst for this expansion of the industry that we are witnessing today. It was that state Labor government under Jay Weatherill's leadership that established Australia's first dedicated space office in Adelaide in 2015. Without this foresight, we certainly wouldn't be where we are today, reaching for the stars.

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting. It being 1.30, the chamber stands suspended till 4 pm today.

Sitting suspended from 13:30 to 16:00