Page 1216 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 11 April 2018
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It would also be good if the third moon rock in Australia was put on public display. One is on display at the Tidbinbilla space tracking station visitors centre, one is in Sydney at the Powerhouse Museum, but the third is not currently on public view. It is held by the National Archives. This moon rock was presented to Prime Minister Harold Holt at the now Old Parliament House in 1970 by the US Vice-President, Spiro Agnew. With appropriate security and other controls, it would be great if this moon rock could be put on public display.
One of the important parts of my motion is about installing a significant tribute and commemoration to the space tracking industry in the ACT through an artwork or similar in the ACT, in time for the 50th anniversary. In my discussions with the organising committee of ex-staff of the tracking station, they have indicated that they would like this to be in the city area so that visitors to Canberra as well as locals could see it and understand the role the ACT played in the space tracking industry. It may inspire future generations to participate in such technological advances.
I note the ACT is already looking to further its participation in the space industry. This is a way of bringing a new generation of science and technology people into the space tracking industry. It is something we have a proud history of here in the ACT, back to when then Prime Minister Robert Menzies instigated the space tracking industry in the ACT, recognising the technological advances that could be held here and the use of higher education in the ACT and IT and other technological advances. He saw it as a way to bring employment to the ACT that did not involve manufacturing or other types of industry but something that was very much knowledge based. Over the years, hundreds if not thousands of people have worked in the space tracking industry.
There were previously three space tracking stations in the ACT: Honeysuckle Creek, Orroral Valley and, of course, Tidbinbilla. Tidbinbilla is the only one remaining that is still in operation. Tidbinbilla is one of three tracking stations around the world that are part of the deep space network, the others being at Goldstone in California and near Madrid in Spain. Any one of those tracking stations can receive signals and transmit signals to a spacecraft anywhere around our galaxy. So it is very important that we continue to acknowledge the work of those people.
To put not too fine a point on it, 50 years since the moon landing means that some of those people who worked there may not be around for too much longer. Many of them are in their 80s or older, and I think it is a fitting tribute to those staff as well as the ACT’s proud history in the space tracking industry to provide support for these commemorative events and highlight to our citizens in the ACT, to Australia as a whole and to the world, our important part in this historic event.
The motion recommends that this Assembly and the ACT government appropriately prepare for the Apollo 11 50th anniversary next year. I seek the support of the Assembly for this motion to celebrate the anniversary of Australia’s and the ACT’s part in the historic Apollo 11 mission 50 years ago.
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