Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green OAM, has labelled India as an "indispensable partner" and a "top-tier security partner" as the relationship between the two nations strengthens.

Green highlighted that the ties between Australia and India have reached unprecedented levels of closeness. He further asserted that India now plays a crucial role as Australia's indispensable partner in efforts to maintain balance in the Indo-Pacific region.

Addressing the Ananta Centre, High Commissioner Green underscored the importance of India as an indispensable partner in the Indo-Pacific region. He highlighted collaborative initiatives within the Quad grouping and efforts towards enhancing maritime domain awareness in the Northeast Indian Ocean as significant contributions from India.

The High Commissioner underscored India's pivotal role in Australia's strategy for supply chain resilience. He highlighted India's capacity for producing electric vehicles and solar panels at scale, stating, "India is integral to our diversification agenda and supply chain resilience." This collaboration is particularly significant as both nations tackle supply chain disruptions and promote sustainable energy solutions.

The High Commissioner praised the rapid growth in India-Australia relations over the past five years, describing it as the "fastest build-up of one of our major partnerships in history." This progress has elevated India to the status of a "top-tier security partner" for Australia, with joint efforts extending into sectors like solar energy.

Green highlighted India's ambitious goal of installing solar panels on 10 million rooftops within the next three years and affirmed Australia's commitment to close collaboration in this field. He noted, "Australia boasts the largest proportion of households with solar panels on the roof globally. This is an area where I anticipate close cooperation."

Regarding recent concerns over attacks on Hindu temples in Australia, Green reassured that Australia remains dedicated to fostering harmonious relations among its diverse populace.

"We place great emphasis on fostering harmonious relations among people from all parts of the world who migrate to our country," affirmed Green. The High Commissioner highlighted the efforts of Australian agencies, including police and security forces, in ensuring the safety and security of all Australians, particularly in safeguarding diplomatic premises and places of worship. Indians constitute the largest influx of recent migrants to Australia.

In the past few years, both nations have reached several significant milestones. This includes the 2022 India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which led to an immediate reduction of duty to zero on 96% of Indian exports to Australia by value (equating to 98% of tariff lines), and zero duty on 85% of Australia’s exports (by value) to India. Additionally, in 2020, both sides signed the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA).

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