Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Australia on 23 May 2023 for the first time in nine years, receiving a rock star welcome at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Modi referred to the deepening relationship with Australia in cricket terms, as having entered “a T20 phase”.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised his “dear friend” Modi, hailing India’s contributions to strengthening Australia’s democracy.
Prime Minister Modi signed several agreements with his Australian counterparts on this occasion, including a long-expected agreement on migration, as well as an agreement on green hydrogen research and collaboration.
The two leaders, Modi and Albanese also welcomed the establishment of the Centre for Australia-India relations, with headquarters in Parramatta in Western Sydney. Its new advisory board features some notable names, including Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist AO.
Behind Australia’s charm diplomacy with India are three main topics: Indian diaspora in Australia and labour mobility with India, China’s growing military role in the Indo-Pacific region, and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
India has so far been cautious in all public statements towards Russia, with Prime Minister Modi having advanced India’s commercial ties with Russia.
Indian diaspora in Australia
There were specially chartered flights from Melbourne to Sydney named “Modi Express”, which transported select members of the Indian community to the Sydney Olympic Park where around 20,000 people amid tight security greeted Prime Minister Modi.
Indian diaspora in Australia has more than doubled since 2011, with the latest population census recording 673,352 Indian-born people in Australia (from just over 337,000 in 2011). Of this number, only 51 per cent had citizenship, leaving a large minority on different types of visas.
On 29 December 2022, Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) entered into force.