Dan Lloyd, CEO of Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), said the organisation recognises the government’s “commitment[s] in such a tight fiscal environment”, but said the budget is “maintenance, not investment” for space.
“A recent Home Affairs report established that every single critical infrastructure sector is already fundamentally dependent on space, from food and grocery to finance and health,” Lloyd said.
As part of the budget, the government committed to maintaining the Australian Space Agency’s operating budget of $21.7 million over two years.
The National Defence Strategy, which was announced in April this year, outlined potential spending of up to $12 billion on space industry programs and priorities over the coming years.
“While we welcome the Space Agency’s place within the broader $1.5 billion science and institutions commitment, the space funding is a fraction of the billions that Australia’s peers and rivals are investing, such as Canada,” Lloyd said.
“It sustains regulatory and policy functions; it does not grow our industry, fund sovereign capability development or replace the grant programs that do.
“The government describes this funding as supporting the Space Agency ‘as part of fostering a local space sector’ – we agree that is exactly what the agency should be doing. But fostering a sector requires grant programs that grow companies and fund sovereign capability.
“We also note the establishment of a new National Resilience and Science Council to coordinate public innovation investment – space must be central to that work, and SIAA will be seeking early engagement.”
The Australian government has been creating a range of space industry programs and initiatives, such as Defence Minister Richard Marles announcing a Europe-Australia Space Security Dialogue and prospective cooperation agreement in the works with the European Space Agency.
“SIAA will continue to work constructively with the government to ensure Australia focuses on the many risks and captures the many upside opportunities in space.”
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