Australia: A friend for these times
- The Hon Mr Barry O’Farrell AO
- Jul 16, 2020
- 6 min read
Irresistible forces are bringing India and Australia closer together. One in every 50 Australians is of Indian origin. We share an ocean, and Perth is a seven hour flight away from Chennai. Defence activities grew four-fold between 2014 and 2019, with Australian and Indian defence forces conducting 46 exercises together last year. India is an important trading partner to Australia, our eighth largest with two-way goods and services trade valued at approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore (AUD29.3 billion) in 2019.