Australians urged not to walk but to work on the moon

Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg says space research is important for earth. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Australia's first qualified astronaut doesn't just want to walk on the moon, she wants to get science experiments running on it. 

And local researchers and start-ups would be uniquely qualified to play a role in a new era of space exploration, she says, for their expertise in robotics, software and innovation developed in fields such as mining and farming.