Space Industry

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:13): My question is to the Minister for Defence and Space Industries. What actions is the government undertaking to ensure that South Australia remains the home of the space industry in Australia? With your leave, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr PATTERSON: Federal Labor's recent budget has seen nearly $80 million cut from the space industry, with industry warning that it could stall critical momentum.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) (14:14): Yes, it is never pleasant to see a sector of the economy that's particularly important to the state having money removed from it in a federal budget. That is certainly something that has occurred with space and is one of the reasons that I will be meeting with the minister, Ed Husic, next week when I am in Canberra as part of the visit that the Premier referred to earlier.

I need to understand not only generally what are the changing priorities but specifically what implications that has in South Australia, because South Australia is very clearly the place where the space industry in Australia—

Mr Cowdrey: So you didn't know it was coming?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE: —has its centre of gravity, if you will. The Space Agency being located here is essential, and the work that has been occurring across Defence SA and with the Space Agency has meant that we are seeing around 100 companies in South Australia that are involved in space. The very successful Lot Fourteen precinct—which I think we can acknowledge the previous Premier, Steven Marshall, has a great fondness for, and is often at when I attend events—is a place where we are seeing increasing numbers of companies and people working in the space sector.

Our funding for, our support for the space industry, is not being diminished. The involvement of the state government remains undiminished, and we will be making sure that we are using all of our efforts to best position the way in which we are able to support the space industry. We will have more to say about that as we approach the budget and also as I have a clearer understanding of the implications of the federal budget.