Eight professionals from across Australia have formed a new alliance to build a more inclusive, diverse, equal, and accessible (IDEA) space industry.
The Australian Space Diversity Alliance (ADSA) has been established by a group of space industry professionals to support greater participation and innovation of diverse and under-represented groups in the space sector.
The eight ASDA co-founders include leaders from across the Australian space industry representing technology, higher education, government, and consultancy.
Alongside supporting senior leaders in the space sector to take steps towards equal access and inclusion, ASDA aims to minimise the barriers that marginalised groups face in entering or staying in space careers.
“Evidence shows that more diverse workforces are correlated with greater innovation, better decision-making, greater collaboration, and longer employee retention,” said Spiral Blue Business Development Officer, Mei He.
Statistics on diverse groups across a range of backgrounds are not necessarily measured in the space industry. If we take women as a minority representative group as an example, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) identifies that women represent on average only 20 percent of the international space industry. This figure has remained stagnant over the last 30 years. In Australia, women make up only 28 percent of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math. The participation of women in the space sector in Australia is likely closer to 20 percent, with other minority groups even lower, at less than five percent. There is obvious room for improvement across all diversity groups.
"There is an enormous opportunity for Australia to be both a global leader and representative of our nation, striving for equality and diverse leadership right from the start of our relatively young space sector,” said the Global Institute for Women's Leadership Deputy Director, Dr Elise Stephenson.
Given Space 2.0 is about bringing unprecedented opportunities for nations, building on humanity’s first endeavours in space by increasing accessibility, improving technology, and rapidly growing the surrounding space industry, ensuring our progress does not outpace the development of the right kind of space sector remains a crucial challenge. Whilst we know that women’s inclusion in international affairs results in better decision-making and higher levels of collaboration and consensus and the ‘business case’ for diversity can be made on moral and strategic grounds, currently, inclusion, diversity, equality, and access (IDEA) in space is not guaranteed.
Evidence clearly shows that more diverse workforces bring greater innovation, better decision-making, and greater collaboration. This is why governments, industry, academia, and the broader public are calling for greater leadership.
Our goal is to achieve a thriving and innovative space community that reflects the diversity and capability of our entire nation.
We are inviting the Australian space industry to be a part of ASDA, and start the change. Find out more about sponsorship and member opportunities, or subscribe for more information: spacediversity.com.au
ASDA is being launched with the support of Government agencies, with inaugural supporters recognising the important role that diversity brings to the space sector.
These supporters include:
Defence Space Command
New South Wales Government
Australian Capital Territory Government
South Australian Government
Queensland Government
West Australian Government
Australian Space Agency
iLAuNCH Trailblazer
The Write Space
Australian Centre for Space Governance
Media partners Space Connect, Defence Connect, Australian Aviation and CyberDaily
ASDA will partner with Aviation Aerospace Australia for the first two years to enable robust organisational support and to ensure the focus is on education, awareness, and advocacy.
About the Australian Space Diversity Alliance (ASDA)
ASDA builds on the momentum of the inaugural Diversity at the Frontier: Gender Equality in Space conference held in Canberra in April 2023. Over 100 people gathered to discuss inclusion, diversity, equality, and access (IDEA) principles in the Australian space sector and set a pathway forward for greater participation and engagement.
Established in March 2024 by eight co-founders from across the Australian space industry ASDA is transforming and extending the participation of diverse and minoritised groups in space to achieve a thriving and innovative community that reflects the nation's capability.
ASDA is a bipartisan, not-for-profit organisation that is independent to maintain its neutrality.
ASDA Co-Founders
Caz Craven, Advisor and PhD student, the Australian Space Agency and Flinders University
Anntonette Dailey, Defence and Space Industry Advisor, Defence Council of Victoria
Mei He, Business Development Officer at Spiral Blue
Tiffany Sharp, Director Space Research and Development, Cambrian Executive
Linda Spurr, Director Leadership Talent & Culture, Raytheon Australia
Dr Cassandra Steer, Deputy Director - Mission Specialists, the Australian National University Institute for Space (InSpace)
Dr Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women's Leadership
Stephanie Wan, Associate Director, and Space Industry Practice lead for Adelaide, KPMG
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