Speech to the 19th Australian Space Forum

Opening and acknowledgement 

Well, thank you very much for that welcome. 

I of course want to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today – the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains.  

Thank you to the Andy Thomas Space Foundation for bringing us all together here today.  

You probably don't know this, but I'm here in Adelaide not just for this conference. 

It is a very happy coincidence, that tomorrow the Labor Party's national conference begins, and the conference itself will be here on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  

So, while you're all got your feet up, I will still be here.  

And you know, I'm sure there are many similarities between the deliberations of the of this event, the 19th Australian Space Forum and the Labor Party National Conference.  

They’re all about actionable discussions. 

But I think it's very important that I not give here today the same speech that I give on the Friday morning to the assembled delegates of the Labor Party – there's no chance where that might end. 

I want to acknowledge some special guests who are here today, fellow speakers and international guests.  

Darcey Watson, CEO of the Andy Thomas Space Foundation, we had a great discussion early on.  

Enrico Palermo, of course, Head of the Australian Space Agency.  

Dan Lloyd from the Space Industry Association of Australia, Dr. Shiann-Jeng Yu, Deputy Director General of the Taiwanese Space Agency. 

Welcome Ngiam Le Na, Chief Executive of the National Space Agency in Singapore, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Australian of the Year, and His Excellency Andrew Nees, who I saw lurking around somewhere earlier, from the New Zealand High Commissioner. 

I should say, Ms Paule Ignatio, Counsul-General of France, and my friend Chris Picton, the South Australian Minister for State Development.  

This really gives you a sense of the importance that is attached to space, the space industry and its development here in Australia 

I was really pleased to see the announcement this morning from Chris, Australian Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy and Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas on the construction on the defence centre Lot Fourteen.  

That building, along with $100 million worth of projects, will support AUKUS and be the heart for defence, space and critical technology capabilities that are really going to matter for Australia, for our security, and for our defence sector. 

Space is a catalyst for a Future Made in Australia  

For 70 years, Australians have been enthusiastic and effective participants in space activity. 

Not from the sidelines, but by building home-grown capability and sharing it with trusted partners.   

From the images of the moon landing carried through Australian dishes in 1969, to the vital role of the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex in the Artemis program, Australian capability has been right at the centre of some of the world’s greatest space achievements.   

But Australia’s space industry has contributed more than that.  

Innovations first developed here now underpin services that Australia and the world rely on every day.   

Australian space technology is used to make mines safer, agriculture more productive, and manufacturing more advanced.   

The space sector is a perfect example of how Australia’s unique comparative advantages – catalysed by opportunity and scaled by industry – can deliver exceptional value beyond the realms of what was first imagined.  

That is why I see space as a key part of Australia’s industrial future and the Albanese Government’s future research and science and industrial philosophy.   

Future Made in Australia is about maximising the economic and industrial benefits of a changing global economy and securing Australia’s place, and our resilience, in a more contested strategic landscape.  

It is about building a stronger, more diversified and more resilient economy – by backing the firms, technologies and supply chains in Australia’s national interest and where Australia can compete.  

That includes clean energy industries.   

Critical minerals. 

Advanced manufacturing.  

And also enabling technologies – like the ones you develop – that make Australia more productive, secure and connected.    

Serious capability requires serious tools  

We’re already many strides along this journey.  

The Albanese Labor Government is deploying significant public investment to crowd in private capital, scale Australian capability and connect Australian space companies to global markets.  

Government investment in space-related companies through the National Reconstruction Fund is now almost $200 million.    

With the private capital that has crowded in, that’s more than half a billion dollars into Australia’s space industry because of the Albanese Government’s commitment to industrial policy.   

Investments across these six companies support 600 jobs in companies with growth aspirations to more than double that.  

The Albanese Government is building confidence, Australian firms are building scale.

For South Australia’s own Southern Launch, the Fund’s $10 million investment unlocked a total capital raise of $25 million. 

Expanding its spaceport infrastructure – and helping the company grow to 185 full-time jobs, including in regional South Australia.  

For Queensland’s Gilmour Space Technologies, the Fund’s $75 million investment will see it scale its satellite and rocket manufacturing capability and its Bowen Spaceport – the first Australian spaceport licensed for orbital launch operations.  

Gilmour already employs more than 230 people and works with hundreds of Australian suppliers – and is now set to grow even more.  

The Fund has also backed new technologies in positioning, navigation, robotics and satellite-based connectivity – capabilities that will catalyse economic value in businesses today and in the future.   

Taken together, these investments are building an ecosystem of Australian capability developed here, scaled here, and positioned to compete globally.  

The Government’s Australian Space Agency is an integral part of this story.   

The Agency is not just the connector, integrator and translator of the Australian space industry to the Government’s broader agenda.  

Its own early programs helped develop the nascent capability that is now attracting larger pools of capital.  

The Agency’s ongoing work helps create the conditions for a safe, competitive and nationally valuable space sector.   

That is why the Government committed an additional $21.7 million to the Agency’s operations in the recent Budget. 

That means a fit-for-purpose Space Agency to continue its important work as the space industry grows around it.   

Partnerships as force-multipliers  

In a more contested world, Australia’s partnerships matter.  

They matter to building capability here at home.  

To making sure Australian firms have access to the systems and opportunities they need to grow – into larger markets, supply chains, research systems and space missions.  

Trusted partners help Australian firms reach customers they could not reach alone.   

They help researchers see problems from new perspectives.  

They help firms access trusted networks, demonstrate value, attract investment and move from promising technology to commercial success.  

And it helps Australia share the knowledge, technical skills and capability to bolster our own, and our partners’, economic and national resilience.  

Just this month, at the third Australia-India Annual Summit in Melbourne, Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Modi announced the commissioning of a temporary tracking terminal on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. 

That terminal will support India’s Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Program – with Australia providing critical tracking capability for planned missions.  

The presence here today of valued colleagues from Singapore, Japan and the Pacific Islands reflects the breadth of our regional partners and the scale of the regional opportunity.  

Working together, sharing practical capability, to unlock some of our shared challenges.  

The same is true of our long partnership with the United States.   

As we were for the first moon landings, Australia was a rock-solid collaborator on the recent Artemis II mission.   

Now “Roo-ver”, our nation’s first moon rover, is joining the long list of Australian technology supporting the next generation of cutting-edge missions.   

To support these opportunities, and pave the way for the next, the Albanese Government this month tabled in Parliament the treaty-level Space Framework Agreement with the United States.  

Once in force, it will open more opportunities for businesses and researchers to collaborate with NASA as well as other American partners.  

It doesn’t stop with NASA.   

In early June, we concluded treaty negotiations with the European Union on Australia’s association to Horizon Europe.  

That means Australian researchers will be able to apply for Horizon Europe projects from early next year – connecting Australian researchers to A$155 billion worth of R&D investment, including in areas that matter directly to space capability and industrial growth.   

We are also negotiating a treaty-level cooperative agreement with the European Space Agency.  

Once concluded, that agreement will improve opportunities for collaboration and access to the European space market.   

These are practical partnerships, designed to create opportunity for the Australian space industry by building trust, opening markets, attracting capital and catalysing our ability to contribute more value to the world.  

While we are focused on the nation-to-nation level.  

It’s the individuals – the engineers, technicians, scientists and researchers that make these major projects realities.  

That includes many of you in this room.   

You are responsibility for finding opportunities, breaking new ground, driving collaboration and building trust.  

That is why it was an honour to see our Space Agency’s very own Katherine Bennell-Pegg named 2026 Australian of the Year – the first astronaut to officially train under the Australian flag. 

Katherine’s story is a powerful reminder of what we can achieve when curiosity, courage and community come together. 

That is the spirit of Australia’s approach to space.   

Through new investment, stronger partnerships, and the leadership of exceptional Australians like Katherine, Australia can seize the opportunities that lie ahead.  

Statement on Space 

And that is exactly why today we are releasing the Albanese Labor Government’s Statement on Space.  

This is an articulation for a long-term vision.    

The Statement identifies the key areas where we believe the Australian space industry is best placed to engage, contribute and grow across the global space economy. 

Where Australia can invest in trusted space services, spaceflight ecosystems, space platforms, microgravity ecosystems and exploration technologies.  

It provides a common framework for us to work together to build Australian capability, market demand and national resilience.   

It helps industry, government and partners see where Australia’s space industry can contribute to a more productive and resilient economy. 

The Statement is not intended to capture the full breadth of the ecosystem – but to be the starting point for continued collaboration.   

That work will be practical: helping more Australian ideas become commercial realities, more Australian technologies reach global markets, and more economic value to be created here at home.  

We are already taking concrete steps to back our words with actions.   

The Government has issued a new Statement of Expectations for the Australian Space Agency.  

As one part of this, we have made clear the agency must increase the cadence of its approvals, and modernise its regulatory framework.  

We have heard from industry this will be a critical enabler. And we have responded.   

Conclusion 

My message today is simple.  

I’m just so proud of the effort in the Australian space industry and what you are building. 

Keep building.  

Keep showing the world what Australia’s space sector can do.   

The Albanese Labor Government sees the value you are creating, and we are backing it for our future.  

A Future Made in Australia will not be built in the abstract.   

It will be built in the factories, in the labs and the spaceports that turn science into capability, capability into industry, and industry into opportunity for all Australians. 

It will indeed be building space well. 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you all.