Doorstop Interview, Geelong

SUBJECT/S: 2025 Avalon Air Show. 

JOURNALIST: I really enjoyed your comment about the astronauts, Richard, so maybe you can just talk to that. 

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Charlie Duke?

JOURNALIST: Yeah, just something a little quirky, especially for the kids. 

MARLES: So Charlie Duke walked on the moon as part of Apollo 16, but he was the CAPCOM for Apollo 11. So the 13 minutes, which is the time between the lunar module separating from the command module and then landing on the moon, which is really one of the great human achievements of all time, that audio is a conversation between Charlie Duke and Neil Armstrong. And so to have Charlie Duke here, as something of a space geek is very, very exciting, so we're looking forward to that. But the Air Show, it's an institution here in Geelong. It really is the biggest event that occurs in Geelong. We'll have more than 200,000 people over the course of the weekend. So you can go to any hotel in Geelong right now, and it's getting ready to be full for the Air Show. From the perspective of Defence, this is the most significant diplomatic Air Force engagement we have, and obviously the most significant Air Force trade show that we have. So on Monday, the Chiefs of Air Force Symposium that will be hosted by Air Marshal Steve Chappell, Australia's Chief of Air Force, will have 20 Chiefs of Air Force from around the world participating in that. That's a really important moment for the Royal Australian Air Force, and more than 900 exhibitors who will be here over the course of the week in the trade show, again, is really important in terms of developing Australian defence industry, but particularly in respect of aerospace. 

JOURNALIST: That's one small step for man, that’s who he was talking to? Is that what you mean?

MARLES: So that happens later. We’re getting into the weeds here, he lands and then they get themselves ready for a bit, which I think takes about an hour or so, but don't quote me on that and then he walks down and then says that. But it's the 13 minutes where they land and they almost run out of fuel, and then the landing spot isn't exactly where they think it's going to be and it is so dramatic to listen to those 13 minutes of audio. But it is a conversation between Charlie Duke and Neil Armstrong at the moment, and he's going to be here next week. 

ENDS