 | |
 Australia |  India |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| High Commission of Australia, New Delhi | High Commission of India, Canberra |
| Envoy | |
| Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green[1] | Indian High Commissioner to AustraliaGopal Baglay |
Foreign diplomatic relations betweenAustralia andIndia are well-established, with both nations sharing a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" since both were part of theBritish Empire. Both are members of theCommonwealth of Nations, and share political, economic, security, lingual and sporting ties. Besides strong trading & migration, culture, arts, music, commercial & international sports like cricket, tennis, badminton have emerged as a strong cultural connection between the two nations. Military cooperation between Australia and India includes the regular joint naval exercise AUSINDEX.[2] Both countries are part of theQuad.[3] The relationship is supported by theCentre for Australia-India Relations, a government centre within Australia’s foreign affairs portfolio.[4]
Prior tocolonisation of Australia, there is evidence ofancient migration of Indians to Australia around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago based on DNA and language development in native Indians and Indigenous Australians according to a recent study.[5]
Australia |  India |
|---|---|
The ties between Australia and India started immediately following European settlement of Australia in 1788. On the founding of the penal colony ofNew South Wales, all trade to and from the colony was controlled by theBritish East India Company, although this was widely flouted.[6] An early ship built in India fromCalcutta, the newly renamedSydney Cove was marooned, with its cargo of rum, offTasmania, and the crew (including 12 Indianlascars) made a journey in 1796 CE, initially rowing a long boat, and then a long trek from Tasmania to Sydney, with only one Indian and two British sailors surviving.[7][8]
The Western Australian town ofAustralind (est. 1841) is aportmanteau word named after Australia and India.[9] Mangalore city is present in both India and Australia (Mangalore, Karnataka,Mangalore, Victoria,Mangalore, Tasmania and Mangalore, Queensland).[10] Australian towns ofCervantes,Northampton andMadura (est. 1876) were used for breeding cavalry horses for theBritish Indian Army during the late 19th century.[11] The horses were used in theNorth-West Frontier Province (nowPakistan).
In the early colonies, Indians were brought to Australia as labourers and domestic workers, with migration being curtailed after federation.[12] Gradual migration during the later years of theWhite Australia policy saw workers moving to Australia especially during periods of labour shortage, such as theSikhs inWoolgoolga.
India remained an important destination for Australian agricultural exports after the Australian coloniesfederated in 1901, also importing significant quantities of gold and silver from Australia.[13] In the 1930s, the Australian government's Eastern Trade Advisory Committee assessed trade between Australia and India and found it was hampered by the lack of a direct shipping service. TheBritish India Steam Navigation Company provided an indirect service carryingjute from India to Australia and returning to India with Australian horses. Trade was also hampered by India's high import duties, asImperial Preference did not apply. In the mid-1930s Australian exports to India were around £800,000 (equivalent to $88,000,000 in 2022) annually.[14]
In December 1939, theMenzies government appointedRoy Gollan as Australia's first official trade representative in India, based in Calcutta. An assistant trade commissioner was later appointed in New Delhi, while Australian interests were also represented on theEastern Group Supply Council during World War II, establishing "a firm Australian presence in India in the 1940s".[15] In 1944, British prime minister Winston Churchill appointed former Australian government ministerRichard Casey asgovernor of Bengal.[16]
After World War II, the Australian government ofBen Chifley supported theindependence of India from theBritish Empire to act as a frontier againstcommunism.[17] Later, underRobert Menzies, Australia supported the admission of India as a Republic to the Commonwealth Nations. In 1950, Menzies became the first Australian Prime Minister to visit India, where he met with the Governor-GeneralChakravarti Rajagopalachari and Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru.[18]
As part of theColombo Plan,[19] many Indian students were sponsored to come and study in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. Easing of restrictions in the late 1960s saw an increase in non-European Indians migrating to Australia especially professionals.[12] In 2011–12, Indians were the largest source of permanent migration to Australia.[20] Australia is also the second most popular destination for Indian university students, with nearly 60,000 Indians on student visa in Australia in 2017.[21]
After independence, Australia has maintained relations with both India and Pakistan, with some concern from India over defence sales over the border such as 50Mirage fighter jets and parts in 2007.[22]
On 30 April 2024, It was reported in the media that in 2020, Australia removed Indian spies from the country.[23][24][25]
On November 4, 2024,S. Jaishankar andJeannette Young jointly opened a new Indian Consulate in Brisbane.[26]
India first established aTrade Office in Sydney, Australia in 1941. It is currently represented by aHigh Commissioner in the Indian High Commission atCanberra andConsulate generals inSydney,Perth andMelbourne.[27] Australia has a High Commission in New Delhi, India and Consulates inMumbai andChennai.[28] In early 2018, the Australian government announced that a Consulate-General in Kolkata would be established particularly to encourage business with India's growing mining sector.[29][30]
Besides both being members of the Commonwealth of Nations, both nations are founding members of theUnited Nations, and members of regional organisations including theIndian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation andASEAN Regional forum.
Australia has traditionally supported India's position onArunachal Pradesh, which is subject to diplomatic disputes between India and thePeople's Republic of China.[31] In 2023, then Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell said Arunachal Pradesh was integral to India.[32]
TheSydney Hilton Hotel bombing, a botched attempt to allegedly assassinate the Indian prime minister at aCommonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1978 received significant attention at the time.
Although Australia and India sometimes had divergent strategic perspectives during the Cold War, in recent years there have been much closer security relations, including a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation in 2009.[33]
Recent visits by Indian and Australian prime ministers, such asTony Abbott's visit in 2014, and later the same yearNarendra Modi's visit to Australia - the latter being the first by an Indian prime minister in 28 years,[34] andMalcolm Turnbull's visit in 2017 continued to progress the relationship. During the visit, in Mumbai, Turnbull announced he would commission an independent 'India Economic Strategy' to guide ties out to 2035.[35]
Australian Prime MinisterScott Morrison was scheduled to visit New Delhi in January 2020, but postponed it due to thebush fires in Australia. The rescheduled plan for May was put on hold due to the outbreak ofCOVID-19.
Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has held his first virtual bilateral summit on 4 June with Morrison, as he hoped to expand the strategic partnership with Australia in the backdrop of China's renewed efforts to step up aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. The summit occurred amid new tensions between China and Australia over Canberra's call for a global inquiry into the origin of COVID-19, and followed China's incursions into India's territory in 2020.[36] Prime Minister Scott Morrison also made "ScoMosas" and in their virtual summit, they even held talks for strengthening their military alliance.
In February 2020, Australia made the first political appointee in recent era to the role of High Commissioner to New Delhi, The Hon Barry O'Farrell AO. This began a period of enormous growth in the Australia-India relationship, though O'Farrell acknowledged often his achievements picked up where his predecessor, Harinder Sidhu, had left off.[37] Nonetheless, the first half of O'Farrell's tenure featured unparalleled activity and ambition in the Australia-India relationship: signing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; agreeing a free trade deal (ECTA); initiating an Australia-India Foreign and Defence 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue; Australia's re-entry into Exercise Malabar; Australian Navy participation in India's Exercise Milan; establishment of a Strategic National Security Cyber Dialogue; the inaugural Australia-India Circular Economy Hackathon; delivering an Australia-India Business Exchange; and refreshing the India Economic Strategy.[38]
O'Farrell's tenure also featured a high tempo of two way bilateral visits, including: the first visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Australia in nine years (February 2022); three visits by an Indian External Affairs Minister to Australia in one year (February 2022, October 2022, February 2023);[39] and twelve Australian ministers visiting India between May 2022 and July 2023, including the historic first visit by Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Marles in June 2022.[40] When O'Farrell departed New Delhi, several prominent Indian think tanks, including India Foundation, held farewell events for him with prominent leaders and commentators expressing gratitude for the impact he made on Australia-India relations.
In September 2021, in the first visit to India by Australian ministers since the outbreak of the pandemic, India hosted the inaugural Australia-India Foreign and Defence 2+2 Dialogue.[41]
In March 2022, Prime Minister Morrison announced a suite of initiatives that formed the largest ever boost to bilateral ties with India by an Australian Government, covering the breadth of shared priorities. This included the Centre for Australia-India Relations (CAIR) and expanded diplomatic presence in India and the Indian Ocean.[42]
In March 2022, Australia returned 29 antiquities to India, as part of India's efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage from around the world. The artifacts date back to various time periods, and primarily include sculptures and paintings composed of sandstone, marble, bronze, brass and paper.[43][44]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited India in March 2023, making him the first Australian prime minister to visit the country since 2017.[45] Albanese visited Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and New Delhi, and his visit included a tour of India's first indigenously built aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. Prime Minister Modi visited Australia in May 2023.[46] In September 2023, Albanese visited India for the G20 Summit.[47]
Following the departure of O'Farrell in July 2023, there was a slowdown in diplomatic activity. The new Australian High Commissioner, H E Philip Green OAM, arrived with less experience or connections with India in comparison to his recent predecessors.[48] By comparison: O'Farrell had served as the Deputy Chair of the Australia-India Council Board (2015-19), and as Premier of New South Wales (NSW) had established sister-state agreements between NSW and Gujarat and Maharashtra; Harinder Sidhu had personal and cultural ties with India; and Patrick Suckling had served in New Delhi as a junior diplomat.
On 1 July 2025, the CEO of the Centre for Australia India Relations (CAIR) resigned in a shock move, with media reporting the decision was due to "bureaucratic pressures" from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The resignation sparked concern among commentators about how Australia's bureaucracy was handling the Australia-India relationship.[49]
While India was Australia's first major trading partner with imports through the East India Company, exports from Australia to India dates back to the late 18th century and early 19th century, when coal from Sydney and horses fromNew South Wales were exported to India. As of 2016[update], bilateral trade between the two countries totaledA$21.9 billion, having grown from A$4.3 billion in 2003. Australian prime ministerMalcolm Turnbull said Australia and India's $20 billion two-way trade was "a fraction of what we should aspire to, given the many points of intersection between our economies".[51] Trade is highly skewed towards Australia. Australia mainly exports Coal, services (mainly education), vegetables for consumer consumption, gold, copper ores and concentrates, while India's chief exports are refined petroleum, services (professional services such as outsourcing), medicaments, pearls, gems and jewelry.[52] Over 97,000 Indian students enrolled in Australia in 2008, representing an education export of A$2 billion.[53][50] The Census 2016 of Australia reveals it is home to more migrants from Asia than from Europe.[54]
In the year 2015-16, the total value of trade between Australia and India was A$19.4 billion, a significant increase over the preceding decade. Australian exports included coal, vegetables and gold, and Indian exports included refined petroleum, medicines and business services.[55]
India and Australia have established a $100 millionStrategic Research Fund.[21]
In 2018 Australia released its first India Economic Strategy.[56] The Strategy was refreshed in 2022, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[57] In 2024 the strategy was again refreshed, and renamed as a New Roadmap for Australia's Economic Engagement with India.[58] At the release of the third economic strategy in six years, commentators said that Australia re-designing its economic strategy towards India every couple of years demonstrated either a lack of long-term strategy, or officials seeking easy announcements in absence of real outcomes.
After a series of attempts by prime ministers of all partiesJohn Howard,Kevin Rudd,[59]Julia Gillard,[60] andTony Abbott[61] eventually in 2016 underMalcolm Turnbull, both Australian political parties opened the door for uranium exports,[62] with trade starting in 2017.[63]
A notable exception from the Australia and India relationship has been afree trade agreement. Despite warm relationships between India and Australia, a promised free trade agreement seems unlikely, with Australian prime ministerMalcolm Turnbull suggesting after his 2017 visit with his counterpart Narendra Modi "It may be that the conclusion will be reached that the parties are too far apart to enable a deal to be reached at this time". Attempts by India to encourage overseas workers in Australia through the loosening of the457 visa[51] may also have failed as the government attempts to curb, end and/or replace the visa class traditionally used by Indian IT workers.[64]
On 2 April 2022, India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) was signed between the two countries to enhance bilateral economic cooperation and increase trade.[65] The agreement was signed byPiyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Government ofIndia andDan Tehan, the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Government ofAustralia in a virtual ceremony, in the presence of Prime Minister of India,Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Australia,Scott Morrison.
PM Albanese visited India in March 2023. During the visit, he also led a trade delegation, which included Trade MinisterDon Farrell and Resources MinisterMadeleine King, after the implementation of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) between Australia and India on 29 December 2022.
India and Australia have a long history of military relations, going back before independence when Indian soldiers fought alongside Australian soldiers in a number of campaigns, including both World Wars, such as the 15,000 Indian soldiers who fought with Australians atGallipoli.[66] Every two years, Australia and India also conduct a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, calledAUSINDEX.[2] In 2019, AUSINDEX focused on anti-submarine warfare.[67]
After independence, Australia offered military aid to India in 1963 in response to theSino-Indian War.[68]
In recent times, India and Australia conducted a joint naval exercise, termedMalabar 2007, in the Indian Ocean alongside the US and Japan.[69]
Some commentators have suggested that there are considerable opportunities for defence and security cooperation between India and Australia. Potential areas in maritime security include in naval exercises and training (such as use of the Australian Submarine Escape Training facility in Fremantle), greater cooperation in humanitarian and disaster relief operations and search and rescue, maritime border protection and maritime domain awareness. There are also opportunities for greater cooperation between the Indian and Australian armies and air forces (reflecting the greater use of shared platforms).[70]
Prime Ministers Abbott and Modi signed a landmark deal to increase their nations defence relationship in November 2014. Part of the framework for security co-operation includes annual Prime Ministerial meetings and joint maritime exercises. Areas of increased co-operation include counter-terrorism, border control and regional and international institutions.[71] Prime Minister Modi stated in an address to the Australian parliament that "This is a natural partnership emerging from our shared values and interests and strategic maritime locations...Security and defence are important and growing areas of the new India-Australia partnership for advancing regional peace and stability and combating terrorism and transnational crimes."[72]
On 4 June 2020, India and Australia signed an agreement to provide access to one another's military bases, in order to help facilitate joint military exercises. Known as the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement, it allows each country to use the other's bases for the refuelling and maintenance of aircraft and naval vessels.[73] The agreement was reached over a virtual summit between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi andScott Morrison due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[74]
Growing Indian migration and ties to Australia have helped Australian cricket grow as well as exportingtraditional Indian games such askabaddi andkho kho.[75][76][77]
A prominent sports passion in both Commonwealth countries is professionalcricket.[78] In 1945, theAustralian Services cricket team toured India during their return to Australia for demobilisation, and played against theIndian cricket team. However, those matches were not given Test status. The first Test matches between the countries occurred in 1947–48 after the independence of India, when India toured Australia and played five Tests. Australia won 4–0 and as a result, theAustralian Board of Control did not invite the Indians back for two decades, fearing that a series of one-sided contests would lead to financial losses due to lack of spectator interest. In the meantime, Australia toured India in late 1956, 1959–60 and 1964–65.
The1969–70 series in India, which Australia won, were marred by repeated riots. Some were against the Australian team specifically, after the Indian umpires had ruled against the Indian team, while others were not related to on-field conduct, such as a lack of tickets. Several players were hit by projectiles, including captainBill Lawry, who was hit with a chair. On one occasion, the Australian bus was stoned. TheCommunist Party of India (CPI), a major political party inWest Bengal, protested against Australian batsmanDoug Walters, who they mistakenly thought had fought against the communistVietcong.[79][80] Around 10,000 communists picketed the Australians' hotel inCalcutta and some eventually broke in and vandalised it.[80][81] Towards the end of the tour, many former Australian players, some of them administrators, called for the tour to be abandoned for safety reasons, saying that cricket should not descend into violence.[81][82]
From 1970 until 1996, Australia only toured India twice for Tests. However, with the financial rise of theBoard of Control for Cricket in India, Australia, the country with the most successful playing record in the world, has sought more regular fixtures. Test series have occurred every two years for the last decade, and one-day series even more frequently. Scholarships are also given to talented young Indian cricketers to train at theAustralian Cricket Academy.
In January 2008, relations became strained after thesecond test in Sydney. The match, which ended in a last-minute Australian victory, was marred by a series of umpiring controversies, and belligerent conduct between some of the players. At the end of the match,Harbhajan Singh was charged with racially abusingAndrew Symonds, who had been subjected tomonkey chants by Indian crowds on a tour a few months earlier. Harbhajan was initially found guilty and given a ban,[83] and theBoard of Control for Cricket in India threatened to cancel the tour. Harbhajan's ban was later repealed upon appeal and the tour continued. Both teams were heavily criticised for their conduct. During Australia's tour in India there were a number of controversies instigated on both sides, culminating inVirat Kohli saying his friendship with Australia coming to an end. He later clarified the comments and said “I thought that was the case, but it has changed for sure. As I said, in the heat of the battle you want to be competitive but I’ve been proven wrong. The thing I said before the first Test [about being mates with Australia], that has certainly changed and you won’t hear me say that ever again.”[84]
However cricket, and more recentlyIndian Premier League has been considered "the lifeblood of the Australia-India relationship",[78] and Australian cricketers likeDavid Warner,Shane Warne,Adam Gilchrist andBrett Lee are immensely popular among the Indian people. Likewise,Sachin Tendulkar andVirat Kohli are highly regarded among Australian cricket lovers. Over 20% of Australian cricket players have South Asian heritage.[75]
In March 2023, PMNarendra Modi hosted his counterpart PMAnthony Albanese during the fourth test match of the 2024Border–Gavaskar Trophy, as a tribute to the 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.[85]
India and Australia also have strong ties tofield hockey which came to both countries with the British military. In India from the mid-19th century, British army regiments played the game which was subsequently picked up by their India regimental counterparts. The country's first hockey club was formed inCalcutta in 1885–86.[86] Hockey in Australia was introduced by British naval officers in the late 19th century.[87] Evidence of the first organised hockey there was the establishment of the South Australian Hockey Association in 1903.
Teams from both countries have been among the top in the world for many years and have therefore frequently encountered each other on the hockey field. India dominated world hockey between 1928 and 1956, with themen's team winning six consecutiveOlympic gold medals. Thewomen's team won gold in2002 Commonwealth Games,2003 Afro-Asian Games and2004 Asia Cup. Australia has found success mainly since the late 1970s, with themen's andwomen's teams winning gold medals atOlympic Games,World Cup,Champion's Trophy andCommonwealth Games meets.
The first international match between the two countries and the first international match played in Australia was atRichmond Cricket Ground in 1935, when the world champion team from India beat Australia 12 goals to one. The visitors featured hockey supremoDhyan Chand.[88]
Following thepartition of India in 1947, Anglo-Indian brothersJulian,Eric, Cec, Mel andGordon Pearce, emigrated to Australia from India. All five went on to become successful international players for their adopted country.[89]When India faced Australia in the 1960 Rome Olympics, The greatLeslie Claudius anAnglo-Indian captained India, his opposite numberKevin Carton also an Anglo Indian was the captain of the Australian national team who lost 0–1 to India.
India has the largest diaspora population in the world,[90] and many live in Australia.[20]Non resident Indians (NRI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) maintain strong cultural and economic links with India. However, theConstitution of India does not allowdual citizenship, so for many expatriates taking up residency, and eventually citizenship in Australia, has led to loss of privileges in India, such as residency rights. India is one of the few remaining countries that prevent dual citizenship, and there have been attempts to resolve this, through Long TermVisas and more recently a pseudo-citizenshipOverseas Citizenship of India (OCI) has been created that has been taken up positively, with many Australians OCIs, cricketerShaun Tait being a famous example, who are able to take residency in India without applying for a visa. However privileges of OCI holders depends on the Government policy of the day, and there have been instances where they have been denied additional rights afforded to full Indian citizens, such as during the2016 Indian banknote demonetisation where non-citizens, including OCIs were denied rights to bring rupee notes back into the country.[91]
There have been a number of incidents concerning citizens of both countries that received media attention:
Anumber of treaties before Indian independence or Australian federation are still honoured, such as extradition treaties and criminal cooperation. Since Indian independence, there have been several treaties between the two countries:
There is a rapidly growing Indian community in Australia. According to 2011 census, about 295362 in Australia were born in India and there were 390894 responses for Indian ancestry. For Australia, Indians were the largest source of permanent migration to Australia, who formed 15.7 % of the total migration programme in 2011-12.
It is important to appreciate that cricket has for many years been the lifeblood of the Australia-India relationship. Historically, it has often been said that the Australia-India relationship is based on three things: cricket, Commonwealth and curry. While the recent successive visits by Prime Minister Tony Abbott to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Australia highlight that our national interests have converged in other areas, cricket still remains an enviable bond that Australia and India share.
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