Australia has moved one step closer to launching its next astronaut into space, more than 16 years after Adelaide's Andy Thomas touched back down to Earth.
The federal government today announced a $65 million investment plan, with funding to go towards the Adelaide-based Australian Space Agency (ASA) to secure space flights and services for the domestic sector.
Making the announcement at Adelaide's Lot Fourteen site, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the other half of the money would be spent on local launch facilities or "space ports".
Andy Thomas was the last Australian in space, when he participated in a 2005 NASA mission.
Mr Morrison said one of the aims of the investment was finding a successor.
"We are an astronaut nation," Mr Morrison said.
"We are co-investing $32.3 million to support the development of up to three new or existing complementary space port sites across Australia.
Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price said the investment also included provisions for local companies to develop their access to global supply chains.
"If you're an innovator, you're just leaving uni or indeed you're someone already here in Lot Fourteen and you want to get your technology into space, you want to test it out, that's a very expensive exercise," she said.
Premier Steven Marshall, who is currently in election mode ahead of the March 19 state poll, said the announcement would create new job opportunities.
"Before, for people who wanted to go and get involved in the space [industry], they needed to move overseas — there wasn't a space agency in Australia of any scale," he said.
"Now, with these investments from the federal government, there are just so many opportunities.
"This next election in South Australia is all about creating a stronger future, having a strong recovery out of COVID and cementing in those great opportunities for our next generation."
Labor spruiks beds plan, downplays audio leak
On the campaign trail, Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas today provided further detail of Labor's commitment to enhance the state's hospital bed capacity by 300.
Mr Malinauskas said 24 of the beds would be at the Flinders Medical Centre, with another 24 at the Lyell McEwin and 16 at the Gawler hospital.
"We're prioritising health," Mr Malinauskas said.
"Beds are a key component of that, but if you're going to announce new beds you've got to announce the doctors and nurses that are going to look after them as well — that's why we've announced 300 additional nurses and 100 additional doctors."
Earlier, Mr Malinauskas downplayed an audio recording of an address to the South Australian Chamber of Mining and Energy about his plans for a hydrogen plant, in which he said commitments to lower electricity prices were not part of his election campaign strategy.
"It's hardly a leak, I was giving a public presentation to an important industry group explaining the virtue of our policy, our hydrogen jobs plan," he said.
The government seized on the audio, accusing Labor of abandoning consumers.
"It's extraordinary that Peter Malinauskas and the Labor Party say that they're going to spend half a billion dollars on a hydrogen plant when experts say it will actually be a billion," Energy Minister Dan van Holst-Pellekaan.
"He's also actually saying it won't reduce electricity costs."
But Mr Malinauskas rejected the government's claims, saying while the "principal focus" of the hydrogen plant policy was jobs creation, it would also drive down prices.
"There have been problems in the wholesale market of electricity for heavy industrial users and we believe our hydrogen jobs plan will deliver them a lower cost and cleaner energy.
"Our policy is to deliver an 8 per cent reduction in the wholesale price of electricity."
