The Government’s space activities fall under four broad themes:
- Ensuring access to space services (communications, global positioning/navigation, Earth observation);
- Supporting world-class science and research related to space, consistent with national priorities;
- Growing Australia’s space industries; and
- Safeguarding Australia’s national security.
The Australian Government is engaged in space-related activities in support of national strategic, economic and social outcomes. The Government’s space engagement is user- and market-driven, with a key objective being to obtain secure and economic access to the benefits of using space.
The Government secures access to the benefits of space by participating in a range of international cooperative arrangements and by purchasing products and services in the domestic and global market place.
This does not, however, preclude the development of space services such as commercial launch operations if they are commercially viable and sustainable. Nor does it preclude space hardware design and manufacture, for example in niche areas such as specific instruments, sub-systems, components or techniques. The Australian Government encourages commercially viable and sustainable endeavours in the space sector.
The market failures for the space sector are the same as for most other high-technology industries. These are addressed by generic Government industry programs.
Australia's policy framework for space engagement involves:
- participating in and supporting global cooperative and trading arrangements;
- contributing to those arrangements according to our competitive advantages, particularly by supporting ground-segment systems in Australia;
- providing generic competitive support programs and targeted initiatives to address market failures, particularly by facilitating research and development, innovation and investment; and
- managing space-related national security issues.
Australian Government Space Forum
Whole-of-Government liaison is via the Australian Government Space Forum, chaired by DIISR and comprising representatives from Government agencies with space-related responsibilities. The Forum does not supplant the space policy and program responsibilities vested in individual agencies. Its role is to exchange and disseminate information, identify issues that would benefit from a collaborative approach by agencies, be a national and international point of contact, and a source of expertise or referral for agencies on space-related matters.
International Cooperation
Securing access to the benefits of space often involves international collaboration. The Australian Government’s international collaboration includes: exchanging space data with other nations (e.g. for meteorology); hosting or participating in ground station networks (e.g. Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex); negotiating bilateral cooperative arrangements, often involving the provision or sharing of ground facilities (e.g. with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA) and the international astronomy community); engaging in multilateral forums (e.g. United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space); and observing international arrangements (e.g. United Nations Space Conventions, Missile Technology Control Regime).
The United States and Australia initiated a cooperative relationship on GPS and space-based PNT through a Joint Delegation Statement signed in 2007. The cooperation expands upon existing efforts to ensure interoperability between GPS and Australia's Ground-based Regional Augmentation System (GRAS) and Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS).
GPS Joint Delegation Statement (establishing cooperation), Apr 2007
If you have a domestic or international query about Australian Government space activities, please contact the Chair of the Australian Government Space Forum at the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
Email: space@innovation.gov.au
Telephone: +61 2 6213 6532
Back to Australian Government Space Portal