India to become one of Australia’s closest friends
Opinion piece by The Hon Lisa Singh
Published in The Australian
In security and foreign policy terms, 2021 should be remembered as the year the Australia-India relationship soared to unthinkable new heights. From the resurgence of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan, the US, India and Australia; the fast-tracking of an Australia-India free-trade deal and the exceptionally close relationship between prime ministers Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison, the once on-again, off-again relationship was decidedly on in 2021.
At a recent event in Sydney, Indian high commissioner Manpreet Vohra was exuberant about the bilateral relationship, commenting that he had never seen diplomats work so hard on the negotiation of a new free-trade agreement, known as the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.
The value of a strong FTA cannot be underestimated. Two-way trade in goods and services between Australia and India has grown in value from $13.6bn in 2007 to $24.3bn in 2020. This is coupled with India, the fastest-growing economy in the world with a population of 1.3 billion, having the highest GDP growth rate of any country across the July-September quarter of 8.4 per cent.
That is perhaps why the Morrison government is taking its relationship with India so seriously. That seriousness was laid out in the government’s recent Mid-Year Economic Fiscal Outlook, which put aside more than $60m for the next five years to develop the relationship under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This includes a new diplomatic post in Bangalore, the world’s fourth-largest tech cluster, to strengthen Australia’s technology partnership and a new Centre for Excellence in Critical and Emerging Technology Policy.
And Canberra continues to make concerted efforts to be seen in India. Trade Minister Dan Tehan, Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton all travelled to India in 2021, while former PM Tony Abbott has been eagerly touring India to help secure the early harvest agreement as the Prime Minister’s special trade envoy.
While some commentators will point to the souring of relations with China as the reason Australia is looking so cosy with India, there is undoubtedly bigger long-term gains to be had between the two countries that stem from shared norms of creating peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The uplift of maritime security from both sides, from India inviting Australia to join the Malabar exercises, to Australia’s invitation to India to join the next Talisman Sabre exercise, all leads to a stronger geopolitical partnership for 2022 and beyond.
But the elevation of the Australia-India relationship and the strong sense of Dosti, common interests, and commitments to a rules-based international order are not immune to the ongoing challenges brought about from the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia cannot ignore the public diplomacy fallout caused by the temporary travel ban for Indians in May, preventing Indian students returning here to complete their university studies, and the Indian diaspora’s frustrations that their children and families were stranded in India as the Delta variant ravaged the country.
While these restrictions have now been lifted, Australia must think very carefully before imposing such restrictions again. They were found to cause negative feelings towards Australia and have long-lasting impacts on how Indians view travelling, living and studying here.
One way Australia can continue to show the deepening of its relationship with India is through backing India’s push for greater gains on the international stage.
In August, India assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council. The non-permanent member had made clear it wanted to drive a much deeper agenda, as it continues to angle for a fixed seat alongside the permanent five. Facing a confluence of geopolitical currents affecting the world order in the Indo-Pacific, the success of India’s advocacy as president presented a significant opportunity for both nations to influence the shape of the region for mutual gain. At the time India’s Permanent Representative, ambassador TS Tirumurti, remarked that the UN was “losing coherence”, and that it hopes to bring this back through a focus on “issues of priority to all member states”. To achieve this, India focused on maritime security, peacekeeping and counter-terrorism. This agenda aligns closely with the bilateral and wider engagement by India and Australia.
Next year will mark India’s 75th year of independence. Today India and Australia are much more aligned with how they see the world compared with 75 years ago when they were on opposite sides of power blocs during the Cold War. India’s positioning to take an even stronger lead on regional and global issues, commensurate with its political and economic power, will also encourage Australia to continue engaging with it across geostrategic trade and investment and soft power issues. What is crucial is the momentum is sustained and nothing holds both nations back.
The Hon Lisa Singh is chief executive of the University of Melbourne’s Australia India Institute, deputy chair of the Australia-India Council, former senator for Tasmania 2011-19 and the first woman of Indian heritage to be elected to the federal parliament.