Craig Laundy (Reid, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to be able to speak today to this motion on Australia's relationship with India, and I commend the member for Sydney for putting it to the House. Within Reid, I have the honour of representing an incredibly valuable Australian Indian community. Over the last two years or so, I have been honoured to be able to call many members of that community friends. Since their arrival in Australia, Indian Australians have worked hard to provide a better life for their families and have made an invaluable contribution to this nation and indeed to my community in Reid. In Reid, like so many parts other parts of Australia, they have become leaders within our community in the field of business, education, engineering and health. I am delighted to inform the House that in Reid we have over 6½ thousand people who were born in India and many more who are proud to identify India as part of their cultural heritage. They are also extremely proud, and rightly so, of India's democratic processes, which have remained strong since India's independence in 1947.

The people of India should be congratulated on the successful conduct of India's democratic election, another successful achievement. To hear that over half a billion registered voters cast a vote, making it the largest democratic exercise in the world, is truly staggering. We saw for ourselves the complexities and challenges faced by our own Electoral Commission in the conduct of an election a fraction of that scale. I congratulate the Bharatiya Janata Party, the BJP, led by Narendra Modi and its National Democratic Alliance coalition partners on their decisive win. I understand that Prime Minister Abbott has spoken to Mr Modi to congratulate him on his electoral success and to extend an invitation to Mr Modi to visit Australia and attend the G20 summit. I applaud him for that.

The friendship extended by our Prime Minister should not be a surprise to anybody, as Australia and India have a long-established partnership across a broad range of areas. Whilst on the cricket pitch we are fierce competitors and have had many memorable battles, our strategic partnership is one that this government is committed to working to improve even further. Of course, this partnership is based on many common interests, most particularly in the areas of economic development, education and, as the member for Sydney notes in this motion, international affairs. The value of our relationship with India is illustrated by the fact that India is our fifth-largest export destination and that our exports of resources to India are helping to support India's development. This government remains committed to being a long-term and reliable energy supplier to the people of India. I am sure that all within this House, and our wider communities, are pleased to know that the trade between our two nations has grown substantially over the last 14 years, from $3.3 billion in 2000 to over $15 billion in 2013. Moreover, this government, and the Indian Australian community in Reid, see great potential for further growth in investment in both directions.

Education is at the heart of Indian society, and I know from my friendships within the community of Reid that education is valued greatly for its capacity to lift anybody to a higher level of achievement. I am therefore delighted that education links are strong and being built upon by recognition of Australia's expertise in this area, an expertise that is of course informed by participation of so many Indian Australians within that sector. I note that it is also hoped that we can begin sending students to India from 2015 under the government's New Colombo Plan.

The New Colombo Plan provides for a truly exciting opportunity for students to obtain work experience with a business in India. So not only will students meet other students and teachers but they will also gain an intern opportunity. They will see how a business operates, how a hospital functions, how a profession works and perhaps even our next generation of Australian election officials will benefit from seeing how an Indian election works.

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