The Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) welcomes the Australian Government’s Ministerial Statement on Space announced today. The Space Statement comes at an important time for Australia’s resilience & prosperity, delivering clear signals of the importance of space to Australia and an ambition to grow a vibrant and nationally significant space sector. The identification of the five Focus Areas: Trusted Space Services, Spaceflight Ecosystem, Space Platforms, Microgravity Ecosystem and Exploration Technologies will enable better national coordination of initiatives across public and private sectors to drive economic growth, resilience, national security and Defence. Importantly, they are focus areas where Australia already has emerging and thriving success stories.

SIAA commends Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science Senator the Hon Tim Ayres, and Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy and Cabinet Secretary Dr Andrew Charlton for their timely focus on uplifting Australian space awareness and capability.

SIAA also thanks the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the Australian Space Agency for developing the statement through rapid and highly collaborative process, working closely with the peak industry association. SIAA has consulted extensively across its membership and looks forward to working closely with its members and the Australian Space Agency during Phase 2.

“This statement sends an important signal to industry, investors, international partners and government: Australia understands that space is no longer a niche sector or a ‘nice to have’ but essential to everyday life and Australia’s future,” said SIAA CEO, Dan Lloyd. “Space services underpin virtually all aspects of modern life—from communications and banking to agriculture, transport, energy, emergency response and Defence.”

“Australia has an enviable foundation: unique geographic advantages, trusted international partnerships, outstanding research & development capability, innovative companies and an increasingly coordinated government. The task now is to join these assets together and build competitive, resilient and trusted Australian space services.”

The recent major telecommunications outage highlighted Australia’s dependence on just one space service: Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) services such as GPS. These technologies, which Australia does not currently own or operate, provide precise timing signals without which communications, energy, financial and other essential networks could not be synchronised and could not function.

The economic opportunity for Australia is clear. The global space industry is on track to triple in size to US$1.8tn by 2035, and the UK Government estimates that 18 per cent of its economy is already directly dependent on space, the equivalent of nearly A$1 billion per day for Australia. Local investment in space capability is already achieving significant gains, with the Australian Space Agency reporting a 7:1 return on its space grant programs.

“The Ministerial Statement provides a sophisticated strategic platform for accelerated action,” Lloyd said. “Phase 2 is now critical: the faster government and industry collaborate to identify and implement high-potential initiatives and actions, the sooner Australia will capture the economic, resilience and security benefits.”

The Space Statement comes at an important time for Australia’s engagement with like-minded Indo-Pacific and European partners. In addition to its long-standing engagement with the USA, Australia is expanding its international pathways, especially to Europe. In recent months, the Australian Government has delivered a raft of European opportunities through the conclusion of the Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), participation in Horizon Europe, the EU-Australia Space Security Dialogue and negotiations for a Cooperative Agreement with the European Space Agency. The Space Statement will enable Australia to deliver these opportunities in a far more rapid and strategic manner.

Background: The Ministerial Statement on Space reinforces the many parts of government that are renewing and increasing their strategic focus on space:

• The recent Home Affairs Independent Review of Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) identified space not only as a critical infrastructure sector in its own right, but also a critical dependency for every single other critical infrastructure sector including banking, energy, water and Defence;

• The 2026 National Defence Strategy also identifies space as a critical capability: “Space is a critical enabler of military operations, supporting communications, targeting and situational awareness. The threat posed by counter-space technologies is accelerating”;

• The National Reconstruction Fund has delivered serial investments in Australian space companies including direct NRFC investments of $120m as part of total fundraisings of $338m for Southern Launch, Gilmour Space and Hypersonix;

• The Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) maintained the Australian Space Agency’s operating budget in the 2026 Budget, and is supporting the Australian Space Agency’s negotiations for a Cooperative Agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) which will unlock the world’s second largest space market for Australian companies;

• Australia’s rapid association to Horizon Europe enables space-related research projects from January 2027 as part of a €170bn research programme; and

• Minister Conroy announced a $1bn Advanced Capabilities Investment Fund (ACIF) for dual-use capabilities including space.

About SIAA:

The Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA) is the peak body for the Space sector in Australia. SIAA provides a collective voice on behalf of over 80 domestic and international member organisations with world-class capability across all aspects of Space activities. SIAA membership reflects a breadth and depth of capability, including launch providers, advanced manufacturing, downstream data and AI providers, and enabling capabilities such as law firms. SIAA’s diverse membership includes startups, state governments, small-to-medium sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) and corporates, most of Australia’s leading academic institutions and aerospace Primes.

Southern Space Annual Conference 11/12 August, Canberra:

SIAA’s premier annual conference will be held in Canberra 11/12 August 2026 bringing together industry, academia and government for a unique dialogue. Day 1 will be opened by Minister for Defence Industry Hon Pat Conroy MP, Day 2 by Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Dr Andrew Charlton MP, and keynotes from Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg and the Commander, Space Command, Major General Novak.

Media enquiries: siaa@slingstone.com