Today we’re about lift off in Adelaide! The Australian Government announced this morning that Adelaide will be the location of the Australian Space Agency.
Here, in the vibrant innovation precinct of Lot Fourteen alongside the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, the Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population, the Hon Alan Tudge MP, and Premier of South Australia, the Hon Steven Marshall, we are welcomed into Adelaide.
This new base in Adelaide provides an exciting location for the Agency to deliver on our mandate to transform and grow the Australian space industry to inspire and improve the lives of all Australians – underpinned by strong national and international engagement.
We’re engaging with companies nationwide, and have already signed Strategic Statements of Intent and Cooperation with three industry partners, all with investments in South Australia, including Airbus, Sitael and Nova Systems. Fleet Space Technologies and Myriota, both South-Australian start-ups have launched satellites and a payload that can help our farmers and other industries use space to monitor sensor networks to improve the productivity of their businesses.
Today Minister Andrews tasked the Australian Space Agency to continue to engage with states and territories and understand investment opportunities across the nation. Our success depends on solid national and international engagement and our vision will see us reach across all states and territories and build global partnerships that open the door for our space researchers and industries.
We have assembled a world-class team in our first five months of operation and will support them as we develop our plans for Adelaide. With the rapid growth and excitement in the space industry about the commercial opportunities for small launches, we will maintain our focus on regulatory, licensing and partnership activities.
Today we are also proud to unveil a new brand identity for the Australian Space Agency.
We wanted a brand that would not only reflect our role and our values, but would also reflect our unique position as the Australian Space Agency. We celebrate our earliest cultural connection with space and Australia’s unique geographical position in the Agency’s new identity, capturing our past, present and future.
I would like to thank the Indigenous elders Uncle Lewis O'Brien and Aunty Denise Smith-Ali who granted us approval to represent their stories of the night sky. We also acknowledge the advice of Mr Paul Curnow, a Lecturer at the Adelaide Planetarium, Professor Ray Norris and the Culture Branch of the Indigenous Affairs Group at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The new identity is a brand of which we can all be proud, and we hope Australians come to love. It reminds us that we are here to serve our nation, honour our past and build the future.
Lastly, it has been a tremendous five months of activity involving a series of accomplishments, from releasing our Charter, supporting the passage of legislation, and the signing of memoranda of understanding with international counterparts. With all this progress, I think it is important that we engage with stakeholders directly around the nation, to provide you an update on our activities and discuss how we can collectively grow our space industry. Further details about these events will be released early in the new year.
We look forward to building a new home for the Agency and continuing our close engagement with you all across the nation.
Dr Megan Clark AC
12 December 2018