Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Australia and held talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. On 9 July, the two countries announced strengthened cooperation in energy, defence, education and technology, while pledging to jointly promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
As part of the agreement, Australia confirmed that it would implement administrative arrangements under the 2015 Australia-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement to export uranium to India for peaceful purposes. The move aims to support India’s nuclear energy development while creating new market opportunities for Australia’s resources sector. The two leaders also attended a welcome event hosted by the Indian community at Melbourne’s Docklands, which attracted nearly 30,000 attendees.
In defence cooperation, Albanese said the two countries would enhance strategic coordination, increase the complexity of joint military exercises, and improve interoperability between their defence forces. They also approved a joint maritime security cooperation roadmap and agreed to establish new partnerships in cybersecurity, critical technologies and supply chains, while strengthening defence personnel exchanges, training and counter-terrorism information sharing.
In education, South Australia’s Flinders University and Victoria University will establish campuses in India, bringing the number of Australian universities with campuses in India to eight.
In technology, Canada will join Australia and India in forming a trilateral technology and innovation partnership. Australia will also establish a space tracking station on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands to support India’s 2027 human spaceflight mission.
India is currently Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner, after China, Japan, the United States and South Korea. The Australia India Institute said that by 2026, people of Indian ancestry had become Australia’s largest overseas-born population group, surpassing those of British ancestry.
Commentary:
In recent years, China’s growing influence in the South Pacific, along with its recent missile tests in the region, has prompted Australia to place greater emphasis on security cooperation with regional partners. As a major Indo-Pacific power, India also faces increasing strategic pressure from China. The strengthening of Australia-India cooperation in defence, maritime security and critical technologies reflects a growing alignment of strategic interests between the two countries.
Modi’s visit also carries domestic political significance. With the Victorian state election approaching, Melbourne’s large Indian community has become an increasingly important voter group. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s decision to personally welcome Modi at the airport and attend Indian community events was seen as an effort to demonstrate recognition and seek support from the community. As Australia’s Indian population continues to grow, its political influence is becoming a factor that parties cannot ignore when developing policies and appealing to voters.