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India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
From pakoras to policy: Australian high commissioner Green on strengthening India-Australia bonds
In an exclusive roundtable discussion with Indian media experts and journalists, Philip Green, the Australian High Commissioner to India, shared insights into the multifaceted relationship between Australia and India. The conversation spanned trade, security, education, sports, immigration, and global conflicts, offering a comprehensive view of Australia's engagement with one of Asia's fastest-growing Relations and Economic PartnershipHigh Commissioner Green highlighted Australia's unwavering commitment to free trade, noting that 'tariffs are a tax on consumers, and they cause inflation and they reduce growth.' He praised the success of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), stating, 'Australian tariffs for all Indian goods entering Australia will be zero from next year.'advertisement The impact on Indian exports has been significant. Green pointed out that 'over the last five years, India's exports to the world have grown by 35%. That sounds pretty good, but Indian exports to Australia 66%. So exports to Australia are growing at nearly twice the rate of Indian exports to the world.' He further described the complementarities between the two economies, explaining, 'what Australia has is all the things that India needs for its next phase of growth: high-quality energy, minerals, including critical minerals and skills, Australian universities setting up here in India, and also the vocational skills supply chain.'Security Cooperation and the QuadGreen described the Quad as transformational for bilateral ties, saying, 'The quad is a game changer for Australia and India, we have always been friends, but now Australia and India are strategically aligned.' He highlighted recent engagements: 'We've already had two big court meetings this year, January and July, our foreign ministers met in the quad. And the expectation is that we will have a leaders meeting here in Delhi later in the year.' On concerns regarding U.S. policy under former President Trump, Green projected confidence in Australia's reliability, stating, 'In a world which is becoming more unpredictable, Australia is a face of stability and will be an earnest friend of India going forward.' Regarding AUKUS, he acknowledged Trump's scrutiny but affirmed, 'the arrangement stands well, and I think it will stand the test of scrutiny.'Sports Diplomacy and Cultural ExchangeGreen expressed enthusiasm about expanding sports cooperation beyond cricket. 'Australia will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2032, and India has its hand up for Olympic Games. India has its hand up for a Commonwealth Games,' he noted, offering Australia as a partner to support India's capabilities in major sporting events. He also highlighted Australia's expertise in stadium design and sports precincts. On cultural ties, Green mentioned Australia's coffee culture, noting that 'the flat white [was] invented in Melbourne and now known throughout the world as a delightful way to drink coffee and milk.'Immigration and Community RelationsAcknowledging the growing Indian diaspora, Green stated, 'Indian migrants are the fastest growing migrant group in Australia. Indian languages are the fastest growing language group in Australia, a million people of Indian origin may live in Australia.' On hate crimes, he was firm: 'Violence and intolerance in our society cannot be accepted, and our government has been quick to condemn the recent incidents.'advertisementGlobal Conflicts and EducationGreen expressed concern over global conflicts, particularly in Ukraine and Gaza, emphasising Australia's support for Ukraine and advocating for a two-state solution in the Middle East. On education, he highlighted Australian universities establishing campuses in India, providing innovative programs such as '2 years in India, 2 years in Melbourne, you come out with a degree from both countries.'Strategic OutlookThroughout the discussion, Green positioned Australia as a predictable and long-term partner for India, spanning trade, security, sports, education, and culture. His message was clear: in an uncertain world, Australia aims to be a stable, reliable, and committed friend to India.- Ends
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
PM visits Indonesia to cement ties
Andy Park: Anthony Albanese has continued the prime ministerial tradition of making the first post-election bilateral visit to Indonesia. Defence and security cooperation will be a key priority on this visit, particularly in the wake of the Chinese Navy's partial circumnavigation of Australia and the vast strategic uncertainties ushered in by Donald Trump. Indonesia correspondent Bill Bertels is in Jakarta and he joined me a short time ago. Bill, it was a bit of a case of room service diplomacy last night, the Indonesian PM stopping by our own PM's hotel room for an informal chat. The mission to, quote, strengthen ties with Indonesia is quite a broad one. What's the more specific purpose of this visit? Bill Birtles: Yeah, Andy, Anthony Albanese this morning stressing the depth of the relationship and stressing economic and security ties, but he was pretty short on concrete details of what sort of agreements might come out of this formal meeting that he's about to do with President Prabowo Subianto. He did say last night it was an honour for the Indonesian President to swing by his hotel room. It must be a pretty big room because he said the President brought representatives of more than two dozen political parties with him. So, we assume it was actually quite a large meeting, but Anthony Albanese said it was an informal chat. He said it was a wide-ranging discussion and he has emphasised that Indonesia will be the world's fifth largest economy by the end of next decade. So, he wants to look for ways to probably increase Australian investment in Indonesia. That's always been a bit of a lagging issue because a lot of Australian businesses are reluctant to put their money here, seen as a bit risky. But the other thing is he said they will be talking about enhancing the security relationship between the two countries and that of course came into focus recently with the news during the election campaign that Russia had reportedly asked the Indonesians to base some of their long-range planes at a base in Papua, north of Australia. Anthony Albanese: Russia of course will try to increase its influence. We make very clear our position when it comes to Russia around the world, be it the brutal invasion of Ukraine, its interference in cyber security issues as well, its tolerance of criminal organisations that have been involved in that are anathema to our values. We'll continue to stand up for Australian values and that is something that we'll do both domestically but right around the world. Andy Park: And Bill, the idea that Indonesia matters to Australia as much as Australia matters to Indonesia, where do you think we sit on the Indonesian consciousness when it comes to geopolitical importance? Bill Birtles: Look Andy, to be honest, it's a bit like Australia in the sense that in Asia the focus is very much on China. Of course we look at Indonesia as our big neighbour but Indonesia has many neighbours. Singapore for example is small but it is an absolute powerhouse of investment in this region and so they often pay a great deal of attention to what's happening there, the relationship with Singapore, with China. Of course Indonesia is often seeking investment and with the US there's a preoccupation simply because this country, like many countries, is facing the threat of a large tariff from the Trump administration unless they can do a deal. So I don't think that Australia takes up a huge amount of space in Indonesia's political discourse. However, compared to years prior when there were various tensions about detained Australians in Bali or the threat of terrorism or of course asylum and migrant boats, these days the relationship is remarkably stable and Anthony Albanese described it as the most important relationship and you can see that he's only spending one day here but he's still decided that this had to be the first visit of his second term. Andy Park: Indonesia correspondent Bill Bertels in Jakarta, thank you so much. Bill Birtles: Thanks Andy.
