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Australian Space Policy

The Australian Government's current decentralised space policy framework is explained in the public document Australian Government Space Engagement: Policy Framework and Overview. This document explains that while the Administrative Arrangements Order places responsibility for civil space matters with the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, the Government's space­ related activities and objectives are implemented across a wide range of Government agencies. This decentralised approach has been in place since 1996.

The whole-of-Government liaison on civil space issues occurs through the Australian Government Space Forum, chaired by DIISR, but that forum does not supplant the policy and program development and delivery authority vested in individual Government agencies.

DIISR's specific responsibilities with regard to space activity in Australia include operating the Space Licensing and Safety Office, and administering Australia's responsibilities under international treaty-level agreements relating to space science.

Australia currently has two treaty-level agreements with NASA and one with the European Space Agency (ESA) to carry out non-military space science through facilities located in Australia.

The NASA space vehicle tracking agreement is due for renewal in 2010, and the space vehicle tracking agreement with ESA will also require amendment in the near future due to the need, for technical reasons, to relocate at least some of ESA's tracking facilities in Western Australia by 2015. DIISR's key objectives in both of these negotiations will be to maintain our excellent relationship with ESA and NASA while securing increased opportunities for Australian researchers to engage in international collaboration in space science.

Since 1996, the Australian Government has supported space activity through a range of competitive science and industry assistance programs. Over the period through 2008, more than $30 million in Government assistance has been provided for space industry development projects (including applied projects utilising space technology such as GPS) through the Ausindustry suite of programs. In addition, approximately $22 million in funding was provided to the Cooperative Research Centre for Satellite Systems between 1998 and 2005.

Since 2001, the Australian Research Council has provided approximately $11 million to support aerospace engineering and applied space technology research, and more than $73 million in support of astronomy and astrophysics research. In addition, the Government has committed approximately $110 million to support the development of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) technology demonstrator project.

In response to the space launch activities proposed in the mid-1990s by the Asia Pacific Space Centre and Kistler Aerospace, the Space Activities Act 1998 and the accompanying Space Activities Regulations 2001 were enacted by the Australian Government to provide a regulatory framework for such activities.