Space is an important industry for the future social and economic prosperity of Australia – and the geography and demographics of Australia make it particularly well suited to the utilisation of space based technologies. More than 450 Australian organisations are conducting space-related activity, and currently employ over 4,000 scientists, engineers, policy makers and support personnel. The Space Sector is said to generate up to $1.6 billion in revenue, every year.
Space related businesses have and continue to make significant contributions to Australia’s economy, security and skill-base as well as Australia’s employment sector. Continued development of Australia’s space industry will benefit the nation and aid future commercial and scientific endeavours.
The Space Policy Unit was announced in the 2009-10 Budget as a part of the Australian Governments $48.6 million Australian Space Science Program. The Unit is the Australian Government’s central point of contact and coordination for civil space matters, and has been given the mandate to develop a National Space Policy for Australia. For more details visit www.space.gov.au.
To recognise the importance of the space industry in Australia, the Government announced the extablishment of a Space Industry Innovation Council on 19 November 2009.