Christopher Pyne: SA positioned to capitalise on federal commitment to domestic space industry
South Australia has positioned itself beautifully to capitalise on the Australian Government’s commitment to growing our domestic space industry and capability, says Christopher Pyne.
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Every now and then, the most amazing opportunity presents itself to you as a Member of Parliament and with a bit of luck, the numbers fall your way and your state wins the jackpot.
No, I’m not talking about the Attack Class Submarine Project or the Hunter Class Frigate Project. Nor even the Arafura Class Offshore Patrol Vessel Project (the keel laying ceremony of which I will be doing on Friday, at the Osborne Shipyard, as my last event as Australia’s Defence Minister). Although I could be …
No, I’m talking about space. South Australia has positioned itself beautifully to capitalise on the Australian Government’s commitment to growing our domestic space industry and capability.
In 2016, the Liberal Government in Canberra committed to spend $10 billion over the next 10 years on building our space capability in the Defence Integrated Investment Program. That decision was the catalyst for exploring how much of that investment could be done in Australia — in our own economy, rather than enriching space powerhouses like the US or France.
This incredible amount of money will drive the space industry in Australia. Because of good decisions made by the Marshall South Australian Government and the Premier Steven Marshall in particular, much of that investment and economic activity will happen here, in our great state.
But it’s not all plain sailing. That vision for SA is under threat. From Senator Kim Carr of Victoria. Senator Carr is Labor’s Shadow Minister for Industry. When the Liberal Government in Canberra announced that the Australian Space Agency (the ASA) would be headquartered in Adelaide at Lot Fourteen, Senator Carr intimated that it should be in Canberra. When the Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten was asked his opinion on where the ASA should be headquartered, he suggested the decision was something that needed to be reviewed. It was only after a fierce backlash from the SA media that Mr Shorten changed his tune. But his heart wasn’t in it.
There is critical space infrastructure in Canberra that deserves to be supported. I’m not begrudging Canberra its place in the sun. But Labor’s lack of enthusiasm for Adelaide being the headquarters of the ASA begs the question — is Labor as committed to South Australia as the Liberal Party?
The Liberals have the runs on the board — we have announced that Lot Fourteen will host Australia’s Mission Control and the Space Discovery Centre. We’ve announced that Adelaide will host the SMARTSAT Cooperative Research Centre. We are creating a national space hub — right here in Adelaide and at Lot Fourteen especially.
There are currently 70 businesses employing 800 fellow South Australians that would describe themselves as being in the space industry. That number is set to grow exponentially in the decade ahead. But not if we don’t double down on the decisions of the last year. It’s vital that the SA Government and the Government in Canberra maximise the potential of this industry. I don’t want to see Labor put this at risk. Don’t let them.
defence minister christopher pyne is the retiring liberal member for sturt
Originally published as Christopher Pyne: SA positioned to capitalise on federal commitment to domestic space industry
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