We speak with Art Cotterell and learn about why space needs to be mainstreamed across government as a core national priority. Looking on Art’s policy paper, Art's discuss how space technologies underpin critical infrastructure and support major policy domains, including climate change, economic reform and national security. Art sets out the value of a national space task force to coordinate whole-of-government action and highlight the growing importance of intergenerational planning. The conversation also examines the role of the Australian Space Agency in advancing space literacy and building public understanding of how space technologies shape everyday life. Art advocates that public engagement is key to securing long-term political support, and that effective policymaking depends on a government workforce equipped to use and interpret space-based data. Ultimately, they argue that space is far more than rockets and astronauts, and that it is the infrastructure guiding Australia’s economic, environmental and strategic future.Further reading:

• Read Art's policy paper: https://acsg.squarespace.com/publications
• Should humans colonise space? We asked 5 experts: https://theconversation.com/should-humans-colonise-space-we-asked-5-experts-267436
• Space Colonies and Human Futures: The Debate Over Our Next Frontier: https://www.2ser.com/stories/space-colonies-and-human-futures-the-debate-over-our-next-frontier