Building on its aerospace industrial base and advantageous geographic location, Queensland has a rapidly developing and innovative space industry that employs more than 2000 people and generates A$760 million per year through core industry services like satellite communications. With strengths in launch activities, Earth observation, ground systems, niche manufacturing, and robotics and automation for space, Queensland’s space industry has the potential to contribute between A$3.5 billion to A$6 billion to the state’s economy by 2036.
Recognising this potential, the Queensland state government has committed to capitalising on the opportunities available to Queensland space and aerospace businesses in its Space Industry Strategy and Aerospace Roadmap and Action Plan.
Businesses and investors looking to join the Queensland space and aerospace ecosystem will find:
- Australia’s largest concentration of space launch vehicle developers and Earth observation data analytics capability
- Australia’s only civil hypersonic and static rocket engine simulation and testing facilities
- the nation’s largest share of aircraft manufacture and repair, with the southern hemisphere’s only heavy engineering maintenance hangar servicing the most advanced aircraft to world-class engineering standards
- quality education and training, including world leading hypersonics research at the University of Queensland, supported by the University of Southern Queensland, and robotics at the Queensland University of Technology
- Australia’s first state-based pioneering strategy on unmanned aerial systems
- a focus on next-generation aerospace transport technologies.
Queensland is recognised as a developing hub for R&D, innovation and testing of space and aerospace technologies. Based in Brisbane, the Australian Government’s Defence Cooperative Research Centre for Trusted Autonomous Systems facilitates collaboration between Defence, industry and the research community to develop and drive smart-machine technologies for aerospace use.
Queensland is also home to the Queensland Flight Test Range, a state-of-the-art large-scale unmanned aerial systems test facility; the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies, which leads research in field robotics, sensor networks and new techniques for 3D perception and localisation; and the Queensland Quantum Optics Laboratory.
Incentives, grants and support
The A$3.34 billion Queensland Jobs Fund brings together the Queensland Government’s current flagship industry development programs. As part of the fund, the new Industry Partnership Program will invest A$350 million over four years to continue to grow and create jobs across a number of priority industry sectors including advanced manufacturing, defence, aerospace and space. This is in addition to a range of support and services available to support small businesses, and assist employers to train and upskill their employees.
You may also be able to access a variety of state government resources to support trade and investment, including growth stage capital through the Backing Queensland Business Investment Fund as well as the Investment in Queensland Program.
Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ) is the Queensland State Government’s dedicated global business agency to help international investors and trade partners harness opportunities by opening doors to local industry, economic development organisations, and local and state government agencies.