Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Canavan for the question and for his longstanding commitment to the deepening of the Australia-India relationship. I acknowledge his work as part of the many pieces of the puzzle that led, as Senator Payne has outlined to the chamber already, to the successful signing of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Morrison last week and has helped to drive India to the point of being Australia's fifth-largest export market. It is a significant relationship for us nowadays.

I was thrilled earlier this year, in February, to lead a delegation of some 60 businesses, 20 universities and 10 peak industry and research organisations to India, focusing across different fields of food and wine, agribusiness, resources, education, infrastructure and tourism. It reflected very much the fact that in 2019 Australia's resources and energy exports to India were worth almost $13 billion, with metallurgical coal feeding India's ambitious steel manufacturing targets as well as amounts of gas, gold and copper, helping to fuel India's development and supporting Australian industries.

Our government is equally delivering on growth strategies in the agricultural sector, with training on biosecurity treatments to improve the flow of agricultural products between our two countries. The Australia-India Council has funded Pulse Australia to produce regular guidance notes to better forecast Indian demand for agricultural commodities, and we're developing a grains partnership. We've extended the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, with $15 million through to 2023-24 to pursue deeper economic engagement through collaboration in science and innovation. This includes sharing our mining equipment, technology and services expertise in the Indian market, once again helping to grow our economy and India's economy as part of a strong strategic and mutually beneficial partnership.