Reports suggest one of the announceables to come out of Anthony Albanese’s Washington visit will be a space launch accord and greater access for United States satellites to launch from Australia.
Anthony Albanese might claim to be delivering closer space cooperation with the United States but almost every single decision his government has made has hurt Australia’s space industry, undermining our bilateral relationship with the United States in this critical sector.
How can he trumpet the signing of a new space launch accord in one breath and then cancel Australia’s own satellite program in the next?
In recent weeks, Australians have seen secret emails demonstrating Industry Minister Ed Husic and the Prime Minister’s own office directed Australian public servants to hide the axing of the $1.2 billion National Space Mission for Earth Observation satellite program from our most important ally and partner in critical space technology, the United States of America.
We know that at least one Cabinet Minister, and people within the Prime Minister’s office, see no issue in breaching the trust of our most vital ally, the United States of America, if they judge it to be politically expedient.
In successive budgets, Anthony Albanese and Ed Husic ripped $77 million out of key space initiatives: the Australian Spaceports program, Australian Technology into Orbit, and the high profile Moon to Mars program. All of these programs were vital for close cooperation with the United States on space.
The Australian Spaceports program was designed to support the development of domestic spaceports and launch sites. The strategically significant Moon to Mars supply chain program would have helped Australian space companies get a foothold in the global supply chain while contributing to NASA’s project to reach the moon within a decade and then move on to Mars.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Industry, Sussan Ley said Anthony Albanese was misleading Australians, and the United States, by falsely claiming his government was serious about space.
“Realising AUKUS will demand honesty, integrity and strong working relationships with the United States – given what has been exposed, it’s hard to see how Ed Husic can be trusted to do the work,” the Deputy Leader said.
“Australia could have been a superpower in space, but because of Anthony Albanese’s reckless approach, our space programs haven’t even made it off the launch pad.”
Shadow Minister for Science Paul Fletcher said Labor’s decisions around space shows they do not comprehend the important role the industry plays in Australia’s scientific, economic and diplomatic future.
“The evidence is clear – the space sector is worse off under Labor. What the sector needs is genuine leadership, committed to furthering and strengthening our burgeoning space potential,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Space should be above politics and all we’ve seen under this government is the halting of momentum and the sector being placed in the too hard basket.”