Doorstop interview – Helensvale | Prime Minister of Australia
ADAM GILMOUR, GILMOUR SPACE TECHNOLOGIES: We are super happy to have the Prime Minister visit us at Gilmour Space Technologies. What you’re looking at is the first orbital vehicle that’s ever been designed and built in Australia. It’s critical technology, only 11 nations on the planet have orbital vehicles. When we go to space, we will be the 12th. I really appreciate the Prime Minister taking time out of his busy day to come and see us. I know you’re very busy. I hope you’re impressed with this.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Can I just thank you so much for the wonderful welcome here. This is a great Australian success story, a company that began how many years ago?
GILMOUR: Eight.
PRIME MINISTER: Eight years ago, that now employs 200 people here at the cutting edge of innovation, science, new technology and new jobs. And one of the things that I’ve been talking about is a future of made in Australia. We need to make more things here. We need to be more resilient as an economy here. And what you have as a result of, frankly, the courage of the Gilmour brothers, and everyone who put together this extraordinary business, is 300 Australian companies benefiting from the courage of a couple of people who had a vision, invested, took risks and are now making a difference, employing 200 people here, but 300 Australian companies benefiting because of the supply chain. When this rocket goes into space it’ll carry 300 companies with it, who will benefit from that accreditation that will result. Australia will become the 12th country in the world to have access to this technology, this innovation and this outcome. And of course, built here right on the Gold Coast. Designed, manufactured, built right here and creating high quality jobs. So, this is one of the companies that we’re looking at when we have our National Reconstruction Fund and that whole agenda of a future made here in Australia, making sure we use the Australian procurement policy to buy Australian, making sure that we back Australian science and innovation. In last week’s Budget we had another $300 million program to back innovation and those businesses that are taking risks. So a big shout out to everyone here and a shout out to the workforce here as well. I met many of them going around here today. Another central part of our Budget last week was, on top of the 180,000 fee-free TAFE places that are now underway right around Australia, is another 300,000 places and partnership with state and territory governments to make sure that Australians can develop the skills so they can work at businesses like this, so they can contribute to well paid, secure jobs into the future. So thank you for showing us this very exciting time. This is an exciting company. Australia can compete with the rest of the world. What we need to do is to back our businesses that are doing it. My Government’s determined to do just that, which is why I was determined to come here and accept the invitation
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, is there anything walking through the floor that was surprising to you? I’m wondering just about the fact that it’s a private company, it’s not a government sending a rocket up into space.
PRIME MINISTER: It’s great. What the Gilmours have done here is take a risk with their investment that they made in a startup that’s now attracting capital and attracting support. It’s an example of Australian innovation. And our Government wants to back businesses like this and will continue to do so. It is so exciting to hear about a company – you look at the scale of this – in just eight years. This is a business that’s been built from scratch and is now making a real difference and will continue to expand, I have no doubt, in the future.
JOURNALIST: Do you reckon you’d be up for a trip into space?
PRIME MINISTER: I have got my feet firmly grounded here in Australia. But it’s fantastic that Australia is able to engage in industries like the space industry. One of the things I’ve been speaking about – about the defence sector, critical minerals, the space sector – what we need to do is to aim high. Australia has always been good at science and innovation. What we haven’t always been good at is commercialising the opportunities that come from that. And one of the things that I learned today is how many of the manufacturing pieces that have been constructed here, designed here, world’s first, world’s best, an attracting, as well, of labour and skills from around the world to make a contribution here as well.