Shorten spanner in state’s space plan

The Australian Space Agency’s future in Adelaide is ‘far from assured’ under a Shorten Labor government.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reacts with South Australian Premier Steven Marshall at the old RAH site in Adelaide. Picture: AAP

The Australian Space Agency’s ­future in Adelaide is “far from ­assured” under a Shorten Labor government.

South Australian Centre ­Alliance senator Rex Patrick called on federal Labor yesterday to ­accept the Coalition’s decision that Adelaide will permanently host Australia’s first national space agency from July next year.

Labor innovation, industry, science and research spokesman Kim Carr yesterday refused to do so, after The Australian revealed on Tuesday night that South Australia had beaten other states and territories to become the base of the new agency.

Federal Labor has previously promised that under a Shorten government, the headquarters of the country’s space agency would remain in Canberra, with “nodes” in the states and territories.

Senator Carr yesterday declined to comment but federal Labor frontbencher Mark Butler, a South Australian, said the ALP had its own plan to grow the domestic space industry.

“This is a promising start but the government is going to have to do more than simply build an agency and locate it in Adelaide ... it is going to be important if this is a national industry that it’s not going to be located in any one state,” he said.

South Australia could be the only remaining mainland Liberal government by July.

A spokeswoman for the ­Marshall government said: “The federal and SA Liberal governments are committed to Adelaide being the headquarters of the ­National Space Agency.

“The only people who haven’t are the Labor Party, which is very concerning.”

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr accused Scott Morrison of a “blatantly political manoeuvre” in trying to permanently relocate the agency to Adelaide, saying almost one in four Australian space industry jobs were based in ­Canberra.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan said yesterday’s announcement was part of the Prime Minister’s attempt to “try and save marginal seats” ahead of next year’s federal election.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Mr McGowan also reacted miserably to the announce­ment. “I think the time for sharing it around a little bit more and to stop mollycoddling South Australia has come,” Mr McGowan said.