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Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
HT Interview: India, Aus ties have moved to a higher level, says Marles
Australia backs India's efforts to combat terrorism and the halting of military actions with Pakistan last month was 'an act of Indian leadership', Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday, while outlining Canberra's plans to foster closer defence and security ties with New Delhi. In a conversation with HT, Marles, who is also defence minister, spoke about China's backing of Pakistan during recent clashes with India, saying both Delhi and Canberra feel China's massive military build-up has had 'an impact on the strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific', and expressed hope that am India-Australia comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) will be concluded soon. Edited excepts: Q: As India and Australia mark five years of their comprehensive strategic partnership, you've said the re-elected Albanese government is going to be more ambitious. How do you look back at these five years and what's next? Marles: India's place in Australia's worldview has grown dramatically under Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi's leadership. The bilateral relationship has gone to a greater level - we're doing more economically together and have never been more strategically aligned. This is reflected in our much greater security and defence relationship, which is not just in terms of how we engage in forums that we meet in, the way in which we speak, but actually at a practical level, we're doing more. [Something] as specific as maritime domain awareness, what we're doing with our Boeing P-8 surveillance aircraft that both countries use. When you're sharing that kind of information, you're only doing that with the closest of friends. This collaboration enormously enhances our ability to see the ocean for both India and Australia. Q: One focus area for Australia is ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free, open and secure, and you are looking very closely at the Indian Ocean. Australia gifted a patrol boat to the Maldives during your visit. What more would you like do with India in the Indian Ocean? Marles: We want to see a free and open Indian Ocean and work with India as the major player here. From Australia's perspective, 50% of our trade goes past the front door here. We've got a deep national interest in the rules of the road applying in the Indian Ocean, freedom of navigation, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of trade. The Maldives patrol boat gift builds on our Pacific Island programme experience. It presents an opportunity for us to cooperate with India in supporting smaller nations' maritime capabilities. Q: There's been a fundamental shift in India-Australia defence ties, including the signing of a logistics support agreement and an air-to-air refuelling agreement. How do you plan to expand interoperability and exercises? Marles: There is a whole lot of ambition that we have. The world's complexity and our strategic alignment make closer cooperation increasingly attractive. There's more we can do in maritime domain awareness and expanding exercises - bilaterally and potentially with other countries. We see opportunities in intelligence-sharing. But the biggest area is maritime domain awareness and activity. We want progress on key agreements and roadmaps leading to this year's 2+2 meeting [of defence and foreign ministers] and leaders' summit. This is a crucial year for advancement. Q: China's military activities across the region are a concern for many countries and there are clear signs China backed Pakistan, in terms of equipment and surveillance, during the recent clashes with India. In that context, how does Australia view the hostilities between India and Pakistan? Marles: Though there's two points [here]. We condemn the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Our sympathies are with the families who lost loved ones. We stand with India and all countries combating terrorism. We acknowledge and welcome the stoppage of military activity - we see that as an act of Indian leadership. We'll continue working with India to combat terrorism in all forms. Regarding China - our relationship is complex. It's our largest trading partner, but we have security concerns we've expressed to China directly. We're watching the world's biggest conventional military buildup since WWII, done without strategic reassurance. China's intent remains unclear, and this impacts the Indo-Pacific's strategic landscape. We feel that, India feels that. Since our last 2+2 meeting in November 2023, these issues have become more complex. The reasons for India-Australia cooperation have only grown. Q: The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) changed the economic landscape between India and Australia. How far are we on the path towards the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA)? Marles: We've seen real progress across the four economic roadmap areas PM Albanese outlined - education, green energy, agriculture and tourism. CECA negotiations continue. We're hopeful for a conclusion in the not-too-distant future, which would elevate our trading arrangements. Over the last five years, India's trade with Australia has grown at double the rate of its trade with the rest of the world. The India-Australia trading relationship, measured against all of India's trading relationships, is a standout. What we've achieved has made a huge difference, and we're excited about the next level. It's a huge opportunity - our economies are complementary. Q: Is there anything in particular holding up negotiations on CECA? Marles: No, negotiations are going well. It's natural that people bring different positions that need working through. We're pleased with progress and hopeful for a near-future conclusion. Q: India is set to host the Quad Summit at a time when the US administration appears to be more inward-looking. What would Australia like to see on the agenda of the Quad Summit? Marles: I don't necessarily accept that assertion. We all want American leadership, but the Quad has always been an opportunity for four like-minded democracies with shared values to cooperate for the Indo-Pacific's benefit. This meeting is important for continuing Quad momentum across current engagement areas. We want to see that expanded. As the first Quad Summit of the Trump administration, it has significance. The Quad is important for our countries' Indo-Pacific leadership, making this meeting crucial. Q: Do you think the Indian government's concerns about activities of Khalistani separatists in Australia have been addressed? Are there still concerns about their activities? Marles: I hope not. People in Australia have the right to their views, but there's no sympathy for the Khalistani movement from the Australian government - none at all. We take our obligations to provide security for India's missions very seriously. Q: How do you plan on building on the role of the Indian diaspora in Australia to further strengthen bilateral relations? Marles: The Indian diaspora is a wonderful asset for Australia. It's our fastest growing community, bringing energy and industry to the Australian economy. We are huge recipients of their contributions.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Will work with India on combating terrorism, says Australian Dy PM
New Delhi: Australia backs India's efforts to combat terrorism and the halting of military actions with Pakistan last month was 'an act of Indian leadership', Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles said on Wednesday, while outlining Canberra's plans to foster a closer defence and security partnership with New Delhi. Marles, who is also the defence minister, is in India as part of a four-nation tour that has taken him to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. During an exclusive interview, he responded to a question on how Australia perceives China's backing to Pakistan during the recent clashes with India by saying both Australia and India feel China's massive military build-up has had 'an impact on the strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific'. Marles also said Australia is hopeful a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) will be concluded with India in the 'not too distant future' to build on the gains from the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed in 2022. Excerpts from the interview: As India and Australia mark five years of their comprehensive strategic partnership, you've said the re-elected Albanese government is going to be more ambitious. How do you look back at these five years and what's next? India's place in Australia's worldview has grown dramatically and I think under the leadership of Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi, it feels like there's a much greater prominence from an Indian perspective in respect of Australia certainly, if you look at what's occurred in the last five years. The bilateral relationship has absolutely gone to a greater level, we are doing more economically together, we have never been more strategically aligned. That is being reflected in a much greater security [and] defence relationship, which is not just in terms of how we engage in forums that we meet in, the way in which we speak, but actually at a practical level, we're doing more. [Something] as specific as maritime domain awareness, what we're doing with our Boeing P-8 surveillance aircraft that both countries use. We're doing much more cooperation in respect of that today than we've ever done before and that's about trust. When you're sharing that kind of information, you're only doing that if you have a fundamental trust. You don't share that information with anyone other than the closest of friends. But the fact that we are able to share that information and work collaboratively together in terms of supporting those aircraft, means that the ability for us to see the ocean and maritime domain awareness is enormously enhanced for India and Australia. Our economic relationship has grown significantly, it's going from strength to strength. One focus area for Australia is ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free, open and secure, and you are looking very closely at the Indian Ocean. Australia gifted a patrol boat to the Maldives during your visit. What more would you like do with India in the Indian Ocean? The starting point is we want to see a free and open Indian Ocean. We absolutely want to work with India, [which] is the major player here. But we feel there is work we can do, capability that we can bring to the table in assisting India's work in the Indian Ocean. From an Australian point of view, 50% of our trade goes right past the front door here. We've got a deep national interest in the rules of the road applying in the Indian Ocean, freedom of navigation, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, freedom of trade. It's a growing area of strategic interest for us – our defence strategic review in 2022 and 2023 identifies the northeast Indian Ocean as a priority area of interest. We want to be engaged more, but the principal partner is India. In the case of that patrol boat with the Maldives, that's obviously a small country, but one where that can make a real difference in terms of capability. We have experience in working with small island states in the Pacific, what we're doing there is built on a programme that we do for Pacific Island countries. We're familiar with how to assist, and I think the gifting of that patrol boat presents an opportunity for us to cooperate with India. There's been a fundamental shift in India-Australia defence ties, including the signing of a logistics support agreement and an air-to-air refuelling agreement. How do you plan to expand interoperability and exercises? There is a whole lot of ambition that we have. The starting point is the complexity of the world and the strategic alignment of India and Australia are making it so much more attractive for us both to work closer together. There remains a lot more that we can do in maritime domain awareness. Looking at ways in which we can expand our exercises, bilaterally but potentially with other countries, and we've done a little bit of that in the past, but I think there's opportunity to do more of that. There's more we can do in the context of intelligence-sharing. But the biggest area, far and away, is maritime domain awareness and maritime activity. We have a couple of key agreements and roadmaps that we want to see progress through this year in the lead up to a 2+2 meeting [of defence and foreign ministers] later in the year and the leaders' summit. We see this as a really important year to progress all of that. China's military activities across the region are a concern for many countries and there are clear signs China backed Pakistan, in terms of equipment and surveillance, during the recent clashes with India. In that context, how does Australia view the hostilities between India and Pakistan? Though there's two points [here], we obviously condemn the terrorist attack that happened at Pahalgam, our sympathies, thoughts, prayers are very much with the families of those who lost their lives. We stand with India and all countries in every effort to combat terrorism. We do acknowledge and welcome the stoppage of military activity. We actually see that as an act of Indian leadership. But we'll continue to work with India in seeking to combat terrorism in all its forms. You kind of asked it in the context of China and I appreciate why you asked that. I think the simple thing I'd say is, at a broader level, our relationship with China is complex. It is our largest trading partner, but we have a security anxiety in relation to China and one which we've expressed to China itself. We are watching the biggest conventional military buildup in the world since the end of World War II by China, and that's not being done with strategic reassurance. The intent [and] strategic reasons for China to do this has not been made clear and that definitely has an impact on the strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific. We feel that, India feels that as well. We last had a 2+2 meeting in November 2023, it's really the last time I had a substantive meeting with my counterpart. In the 18 months since then, I think all of what I've just said has become more complex. The reasons for India and Australia to be working more closer together have only grown. The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) changed the economic landscape between India and Australia. How far are we on the path towards the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA)? If you look across the four areas of the economic roadmap that Prime Minister Albanese spoke about earlier this year – education, green energy, agriculture and tourism – we've seen real progress in respect of all of those. CECA specifically, those negotiations continue. We are hopeful to see a conclusion of CECA in the not too distant future. What that would do is take our trading arrangements to the next level, but again, if we look back over the last five years, the rate at which India's trade with Australia has grown is double that of the rate at which it's grown with the rest of the world. The India-Australia trading relationship, measured against all of India's trading relationships, is a stand-out. What we've already done has made a huge difference and we really are very excited about taking that to the next level. It's a huge opportunity for Australia, we hope it's an opportunity for India. Both our economies are complementary, we supply what India needs for its economy. Is there anything in particular holding up negotiations on CECA? No, I think those negotiations are going well. They are negotiations and people bring different positions to the table, and you work them through and that's completely natural. But we're pleased with the progress and we're hopeful it will be concluded in the not too distant future. India is set to host the Quad Summit at a time when the US administration appears to be more inward-looking. What would Australia like to see on the agenda of the Quad Summit? I don't necessarily accept that assertion. We all want to see American leadership in the world, but the Quad has always been and continues to be a really fantastic opportunity for four like-minded countries, democracies with shared values operating in the Indo-Pacific, to do so cooperatively for the benefit of the Indo-Pacific. I think this meeting is really important in terms of continuing the momentum that we've seen with the Quad, across the fields that the Quad has been engaged in up until now. We want to see that expanded. I suppose in the context of the question you've asked, it will be the first Quad Summit of the Trump administration. I think you're right, that does give it significance in that context. The Quad has been a very important construct for our countries to show leadership in the Indo-Pacific and this meeting is really important in relation to that. Do you think the Indian government's concerns about activities of Khalistani separatists in Australia have been addressed? Are there still concerns about their activities? I hope not. Obviously, people in Australia have a right to have their views, but to be clear, there's no sympathy for the Khalistani movement by the Australian government, none at all. We take our obligations very seriously to provide security for India's missions, consulates, the high commission in Australia. How do you plan on building on the role of the Indian diaspora in Australia to further strengthen bilateral relations? The Indian diaspora is a wonderful asset for Australia. It's the fastest growing community in Australia and is bringing an energy and an industry to the Australian economy. We are huge recipients of everything
The Print
3 days ago
- Business
- The Print
Australian Deputy PM Marles to visit India this week
Marles will travel to South and Southeast Asia from June 2 to 5 for high-level meetings, the readout said. He is also Australia's defence minister. The deputy prime minister's visit to India coincides with the fifth anniversary of the firming up of the Australia and India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which underpins the two countries' relationship and shared vision for the Indian Ocean, an Australian readout said. New Delhi, Jun 1 (PTI) Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will visit India this week as part of a four-nation trip that is aimed at boosting Canberra's security cooperation with South and Southeast Asia. Besides India, Marles is also scheduled to visit the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. 'Australia values our relationships with neighbours in the Indo-Pacific. Our deepening cooperation is at the heart of Australia's approach to ensure the Indo-Pacific remains open, inclusive and resilient,' Marles said. 'I look forward to meeting leaders and welcome productive discussions on how we can work together to shape a peaceful, secure, and prosperous region that is respectful of sovereignty,' he said. Marles will be the first senior Australian minister to visit India after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese retained power for a second term following his Labor party's victory in the parliamentary election. India and Australia signed the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022 and are negotiating a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA). PTI MPB RC This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- ABC News
Former Affinity Education workers describe a 'toxic culture' with claims the childcare giant mishandled serious incidents in Canberra
Former childcare educators have revealed a serious incident in which a baby rolled off a change table at a Canberra childcare centre. The staff told the ABC the incident happened at a centre run by Affinity Education in November 2023. They join a growing chorus of former Affinity Education workers who are painting a picture of what went on inside the industry giant's centres. In responding to the incident, educators administered first aid to the eight-month-old, and the baby's parents took them to a hospital emergency department, and the next day, to a doctor. Affinity said it reported the incident to the ACT childcare regulator, conducted an internal investigation, terminated the responsible educator's employment, and provided counselling and training to affected staff. In a statement to the ABC, Affinity said it followed up with the baby's parents who did not report serious injuries. But educators who spoke to the ABC described it as "really horrific" and said they were left in the dark about how their employer had handled the fallout. "Their biggest concern was that they had no idea where to go from there, and they obviously didn't want anything like that to happen again," the educator said, speaking to the ABC anonymously. "The educators were never followed up with, no one was ever spoken to, it kind of just … nothing happened," they recalled. According to Affinity, the regulator, Childcare Education and Care Assurance (CECA), never followed up with any regulatory notice. CECA has been contacted for comment. Affinity Education is in the spotlight after a disturbing video was made public last week of a worker at its South Strathfield centre repeatedly slapping a child across the face. The for-profit company is one of the country's biggest childcare providers, operating 250 centres, including Papilio, Milestones and Kids Academy. Recent reporting on the company has prompted educators to come forward to the ABC. They have now left the industry but they want to remain anonymous. Another case, documented in an incident report seen by the ABC, describes how an educator "dragged/directed the child into the dining room and locked the door behind him". Affinity said the child was left alone for "approximately 15 seconds" and the educator's employment was terminated with the matter reported to the regulator and the child's family informed. "The department investigated the matter and Affinity did not receive any regulatory notifications as a result of the incident," an Affinity spokesperson said. But CECA said it never received a report. More recently, a 17-month-old boy suffered a spiral fracture after attending an Affinity-run centre in the ACT — an injury that can be caused by forceful twisting, which can snap the bone. Affinity said it notified the department and launched an investigation, but again, CECA did not enforce any regulatory notices or raise any concerns. CECA said it could not disclose information about the case. Do you know more about this story? Email CECA has confirmed that since the start of 2024, it took action against one Affinity-run centre in the ACT for failing to notify the regulator about a notifiable issue. Even when proper processes were followed, educators said parents remained in the dark about serious safety breaches. A centre was handed a show cause notice in February 2023 for failing to adequately supervise a trio of three-year-old children for six minutes. Affinity said its educators were counselled and an internal investigation resulted in a corrective training plan and revised supervision plan. But parents at the centre were never told. In a statement, Affinity said it took concerns from families seriously. "Detailed information about individual centre compliance histories, including any regulatory actions or notices, is maintained at centre level and is available to families," the company said in a statement. Since the start of 2024, CECA received 49 notifications of incidents or complaints about Affinity-run centres in the ACT. They ranged in seriousness from child illness, injury, and educator handling of children, to meeting children's medical and toileting needs, educator qualification and staffing concerns. Affinity said it takes breaches of its standards extremely seriously and has strict policies that require immediate action, and emphasises a culture of self-reporting. It requires logging incidents internally within 12 hours, mandatory reporting to authorities within 24 hours, contacting a child's families, standing down or terminating staff and conducting a full investigation with relevant authorities. Part of the reason some safety breaches went unreported, the educators said, was because some staff did not realise their legal obligations to do so. "These educators needed further training, and they needed to be supported and developed," said one educator, who held a leadership position at an Affinity centre. Affinity said that "where concerns are identified, staff may be placed on a formal performance improvement plan". "We have robust performance management and child safety protocols," the spokesperson said. But the educator said they had been "met with silence" when they appealed for help for under-performing staff. "So, all you would be doing is moving the issue to another service." Affinity denied that, saying it was not its practice to reassign employees who have failed to meet standards. "Particularly in matters relating to child safety, wellbeing, or conduct, Affinity will not hesitate to take decisive action, including termination of employment," the company said. The former Canberra educators said they have chosen to speak out about things they saw at Affinity so parents know the reality of the industry. "I would like for there to be a proper review of the childcare system," one educator said. "I've often had this conversation with first-time parents: they're taking their heart out and giving it to you, to trust you.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Navigating the FTA maze
As India approaches its economic goals, including exploring the path of free trade agreements (FTAs), like many other growing economies, India faces an important challenge: maximising the potential of its IT sector, while preserving local manufacturing under the Make in India campaign. Achieving this requires a delicately balanced legal and policy framework which embraces global opportunity without signing away national interest. The Make in India initiative has been the forefront of the current government's economic development initiative since 2014 – with an aim to increase the contribution of India's manufacturing sector to 25% of India's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2025. However, due to increasing foreign competition through imports, its contribution has stagnated between 14% - 17% as of 2024. FTAs globally have produced mixed results. For example, FTAs such as the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) have increased exports in industries like engineering, textiles and gems and promoted IT collaboration. However, FTAs with the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), Japan, and South Korea have increased trade deficits driven by cheaper imports from China in sectors such as electronics and textiles. These imports, often rerouted through FTA partners (like Asean), damage domestic manufacturing operations. Consequently, these FTAs risk undermining Make in India. Further, exports are also impacted by a stronger nationalistic ideology in these regions. India's IT sector is positioned to benefit from FTAs, as these could improve market access – especially in territories like the European Union (EU), where relaxing visa requirements could significantly expand service export opportunities. However, other non-tariff barriers, such as EU's regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR compliance) and high import standards create substantial compliance costs. Further, FTAs with open procurement clauses might also expose smaller Indian IT companies to competition from global giants. India has signed 15 FTAs till date and is currently engaged in negotiations with key partners like the US, and the EU. Import surges and increased global competition pose challenges for sensitive sectors, such as agriculture, pharma, and smaller IT companies, necessitating policy adjustments. There is a need for India to align FTAs with our national priorities as FTAs without proper strategic safeguards could run the risk of prioritising imports over domestic production, and increasing dependence on foreign players, which could impede Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Measures that may be taken include: · Establishing robust review mechanisms such as joint working groups with partner countries, to monitor import surges, non-tariff barriers, and the overall impact of the FTA. · Protecting sensitive sectors like agriculture and small-scale manufacturing from tariff concessions, similar to what India has done in the past, to protect domestic industries. · Investing in research and development to enhance the competitiveness of domestic industries and create a niche for Indian products as a result of increased quality. · Maximising IT benefits through the following: Current government initiatives like the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, have significantly contributed to the growth in key sectors like manufacturing and export of smartphones. FTAs can further enhance these policy measures by securing reciprocal market access for Indian IT services, thereby off-setting import pressures. PLI coupled with FTAs can also lead to increased foreign investment in domestic IT sector, thereby enhancing not just the service component of India's IT sector but also the product and software development component. Aligning FTAs with domestic priorities is important for India to maximise its growth potential and establish itself as a leading economic powerhouse. This requires a balanced strategy of openness and resilience, which includes stronger review mechanisms, prioritized reciprocal access, eased professional mobility, fostered technology collaborations, and investments in skills and infrastructure. These efforts will be key to solidifying India's IT leadership and advancing Make in India (for the world). This article is authored by Probir Roy Chowdhury, partner & corporate chair, JSA Advocates and Solicitors.
