Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green on Thursday said India is the fastest-growing large economy in the world, and no economic unit on the planet can afford to ignore India. Speaking in Hyderabad at the launch of the 14th edition of the Australia-India Youth Dialogue (AIYD), Green underlined India’s growing strategic and economic significance in Australia’s foreign policy priorities.
Strategic partnership in the Indo-Pacific
Describing the India-Australia relationship as driven by “strategic alignment, economic complementarity, and the human bridge,” Green said both countries increasingly view each other as key partners in the Indo-Pacific region. He noted that Australia’s national defense strategy, launched just two weeks ago, declares India a top-tier security partner. Military cooperation between the two nations has increased significantly over the past decade.
Economic complementarity and student mobility
Green emphasized that Australia and India complement each other economically rather than compete. Australia’s strengths in energy, minerals, critical resources, and education can support India’s growing economic and industrial ambitions. Speaking to TOI, he highlighted student mobility, noting that nearly 130,000 Indian students are currently studying in Australia, with numbers expected to grow steadily. He also pointed to Australia’s push to expand educational opportunities within India through foreign university campuses. “When the Government of India opened opportunities for foreign branch campuses, the first two universities to establish campuses were Australian — Deakin University and the University of Wollongong,” he said. More Australian universities are expected to open campuses in cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Noida, Gurugram, and Bengaluru.
Addressing concerns on anti-immigrant sentiment
Concerns regarding housing pressures and anti-immigrant sentiment in Australia affecting international students were raised during the interaction. Responding, Green said Australia remained “one of the most welcoming countries on the planet” and described recent anti-immigrant protests as representing only “a very small minority of Australian opinion.” He added, “We have an avowedly multicultural society. More than a million people of Indian origin now live in Australia and are making an outsized contribution to our society.”
Telangana’s vision for 2047
Telangana special chief secretary for information technology and industries Jayesh Ranjan, also present at the event, elaborated on the state government’s ‘Telangana Rising 2047’ vision document. He said Telangana aims to contribute nearly $3 trillion to India’s projected $30 trillion economy by 2047. Ranjan also spoke about long-term plans in areas including achieving net-zero goals, strengthening sports infrastructure, promoting eco-tourism, and expanding innovation-led economic growth. “Hyderabad’s growing global presence and strong talent ecosystem position the state as an important partner for international collaborations such as the Australia-India Youth Dialogue,” he said.
The AIYD is regarded as the premier Track-II young leaders’ dialogue between India and Australia, annually bringing together 15 delegates from each country to strengthen cooperation across policy, business, technology, and civil society.
