Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matthew Canavan today welcomed the announcement Australia will host the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Ministerial Summit in November 2019.

“The summit will be attended by Ministers, industry leaders and technical experts from across GEO’s 105 member governments and 127 participating international organisations,” Minister Canavan said.

“This summit is an opportunity for Ministers to decide how to invest in Earth observation technologies to drive sustainable economic growth, especially in areas such as mineral exploration, agriculture and water management.

“Australia has been part of this group since it started 15 years ago. In that time, we’ve become a recognised leader in open-source Earth observations technology and we’ve been sharing our efforts with the world.

“We are also ensuring we make full use of this technology at home, because it delivers benefits across the Australian economy.”

Minister Canavan said the Coalition Government is investing significantly in the nation’s Earth observation systems, particularly through:

• $36.9 million for the Digital Earth Australia program;
• new funding for research infrastructure for Earth observation;
• establishment of the CSIRO Centre for Earth Observation; and
• creation of the new Australian Space Agency, which includes Earth observation and international partnerships as top priorities.

“Hosting GEO is a great opportunity for Australia to showcase its capabilities to the world,” Minister Canavan said. 

“This event will help connect Australia’s tech, science and space communities with international partners, and these connections are important as we look to export our technology and capabilities to this global market.

“The Government is looking forward to securing long term benefits for Australia, GEO, and the world through this summit.”

Fast facts:

• Australia will host the 2019 Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Plenary and Ministerial Summit in Canberra next November.
• The event will help connect Australia’s technology, science and space communities with the global market for Earth observation products and services.
• The Australian space economy is expected to grow by a further 20,000 jobs by 2030, and Earth observations will be a key enabler in this growth.