Watching the Socceroos in this year’s FIFA World Cup has been such a reminder that Australia’s strength lies in its diversity. With origins spanning from each corner of the globe, including the first Tamil FIFA World Cup player Nishan Velupillay, the team has united the nation and showed the strength of a multicultural country.
The Australia India relationship quietly stepped up across defence, investment and trade this month. The second Australia India Defence Ministers’ Dialogue built on our bilateral defence cooperation as our Research Fellow Tushar Joshi discussed in our recent Explainer reel.
I recently called on the new High Commissioner of India to Australia, His Excellency Mr Nagesh Singh in Canberra, along with Deputy High Commissioner Irina Thakur, to discuss the upcoming Leaders meeting to be held in Melbourne next month between Prime Ministers Albanese and Modi and how we can strengthen our Australia India partnership. Mr Nagesh Singh’s experience in foreign affairs and recent tenure in Thailand will be an asset to our relationship going forward.
This month also marked World Environment Day, and in that spirit it was a pleasure to see three Indian teenagers named the global winners of the Earth Prize 2026 for their invention which uses tamarind seeds to remove microplastics from water. Congratulations to Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal and Avyana Mehta on this incredible achievement.
Finally, I am looking forward to being back in India next month which will include launching a research booklet on the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences 150th anniversary and the impact of their health partnerships in India.
Best
Lisa