Andy Thomas speaks of Australia's space program, 2008

Transcript of sound recording

When I talk about a space program, I'm not suggesting for example that Australia should send astronauts to the Moon and things like that. I'm suggesting Australia should embrace space capability because it is one of the basic elements of 21st-century infrastructure. I think Australia needs access to spaceborne assets for its national security, for its environmental monitoring, for weather monitoring, for ecological monitoring, for monitoring its oceans. And that's the kind of thing that I think has been lacking in the investments that Australia has made. And I think it's time that that was changed, because these kinds of investments are as essential to a strong economy's infrastructure as are roads, railways and hospitals. It's just part of the basic infrastructure that a modern community must have in order to function.