Beyond Three Cs, The New Lexicon of India-Australia Ties

July 8, 2026

Context:

In May 2023, when the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was nearly three years old, PM Modi described the relationship as having entered "T-20 mode."
He noted that the ties had moved beyond the traditional three Cs — Commonwealth, Cricket, and Curry — and even beyond the later three Ds — Democracy, Diaspora, and Dosti.
As PM Modi undertakes his third visit to Australia, the relationship has expanded into new areas, adding fresh dimensions like Development, Defence, Energy, and Education to this evolving partnership.

Growing Trade and Investment Ties

Bilateral economic cooperation has delivered strong results for both nations. Under the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), all Indian exports to Australia now enjoy duty-free access.
This benefits key Indian sectors like textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, engineering goods, and gems and jewellery.
In return, Australia gets preferential access to 90% of its trade value with India, helping it export critical minerals, resources, wool, avocados, and macadamia to India.
Both countries now share an ambitious target: raising bilateral trade from $33 billion in 2025 to $100 billion by 2030.
On the investment front, cumulative two-way investment is approaching $50 billion.
- Australia's AirTrunk has announced plans to invest $30 billion by 2030 in India's digital infrastructure and AI-ready data centres.
- At the same time, India is investing in Australia too — notably, Perdaman Chemicals & Fertilizers, founded by an Indian entrepreneur, is building Australia's largest urea plant in Western Australia with a $4.5 billion investment.
- Interestingly, over 98% of this plant's modules are being manufactured in India itself, creating substantial employment back home.

Defence: The Fastest-Growing Pillar

Defence cooperation is currently the fastest-growing area of this partnership. Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles chose India for his first foreign visit in both his terms under the Albanese government — a clear signal of India's importance as a reliable partner.
Last year, Marles hosted Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Australia — the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Australia in 12 years.
Regular exchanges between military leadership, along with participation in joint military exercises like AUSINDEX, Malabar, and Talisman Sabre, are strengthening operational coordination, particularly in the maritime domain.
New opportunities are also emerging in defence industry cooperation, covering cyber security, AI, drones, and shipbuilding.

The Energy Partnership

Beyond trade and defence, energy cooperation is deepening too.
The India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership operates through a dedicated Solar Taskforce and a Green Hydrogen Task Force, both guided at the ministerial level.
India's ambitious renewable energy targets offer huge potential for collaboration — spanning critical minerals, manufacturing, research, and solar rooftop deployment.
Notably, arrangements for future Australian uranium exports to India may be finalised soon.
This could significantly boost India's civil nuclear programme, while also benefiting Australia's uranium export industry.

Education and Skills Cooperation

The education and skills partnership between the two countries is building a strong foundation for future-ready youth and innovators.
Currently, over one lakh Indian students are enrolled in Australian institutions. At the same time, Australian universities are setting up campuses in India, making world-class education more accessible and affordable at home.
Joint research collaboration in priority areas like advanced computing, energy, healthcare, space, and defence is helping create valuable intellectual assets and professional networks.
Special visa programmes have also opened new employment pathways for skilled Indian youth in Australia.
Australia's global expertise in vocational training is being tapped in India too, particularly in solar rooftop installation and mining skills, in states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha — helping address Australia's workforce shortages while boosting skill development in India.

Sport as a New Frontier

Sport has emerged as a new area of cooperation.
Both countries can collaborate on sports education, training, medicine, equipment, and infrastructure, especially with major upcoming events like the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics on the horizon.
With the Indian diaspora in Australia now exceeding ten lakh people — rightly called a "living bridge" between the two nations — traditional Indian sports like kabaddi and khokho are gaining popularity even beyond the diaspora community.

Building Multilateral Partnerships

The strength of this bilateral relationship is increasingly extending into multilateral formats too.
India and Australia now cooperate through trilateral partnerships like India-Indonesia-Australia and India-France-Australia.
Other notable initiatives include the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership (launched November 2025) and the India-Japan-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Initiative.
A possible new grouping with the United Arab Emirates could also help counter disruptions and dominance in critical areas like rare earths, semiconductors, and emerging technologies.
Both countries share a common vision for a free, open, safe, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
This vision plays out through platforms like the Quad and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
Their combined engagement with Pacific Island countries also creates opportunities for cooperation in education, health, technology, fintech, capacity building, and disaster relief.

Conclusion

From Commonwealth and cricket to critical minerals and cutting-edge technology, India-Australia ties have matured into a genuinely multidimensional partnership.
Anchored in mutual trust and shared Indo-Pacific vision, this relationship exemplifies how historical goodwill can evolve into strategic depth across trade, defence, energy, and education.