STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms CLUTTERHAM (Sturt) (13:34): The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation has taken a $10 million equity stake in aerospace company Southern Launch, located in my home state of South Australia. When I visited the Adelaide headquarters of Southern Launch, I met a group of dynamic, innovative and energised people excited by the opportunities offered by the sovereign space industry.

Southern Launch is a pioneering aerospace company. In February 2025, with Varda Space Industries, it achieved the world's first commercial spacecraft re-entry. Under the leadership of CEO Lloyd Damp, Southern Launch's goal is to build and operate spaceports, facilitate rocket launches into orbit, enable suborbital launches, foster orbital re-entries and enable companies to develop medical therapies in space.

Southern Launch does all of this at the same time as driving economic participation for First Nations people, specifically the Koonibba traditional owners; the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation is a Southern Launch shareholder. The investment by the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation in Southern Launch will help to establish a future space manufacturing hub and supply chain businesses in South Australia, creating new jobs and opportunities within the emerging space industry while fortifying a critical national supply chain.

Southern Launch knows that South Australia is perfectly placed for space launch. Southern Launch and South Australia—how good!