Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that India will open a consulate in Brisbane to actualise the long-pending demand by the diaspora.
PM Modi made the announcement while addressing a packed stadium at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena. It was attended by his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 census, 619,164 people in Australia declared that they were of ethnic Indian ancestry. This comprises 2.8 per cent of the Australian population. Among those, 592,000 were born in India.
In an interview with "The Australian" newspaper, PM Modi said he wants to take the relationship with Australia to the "next level", including closer defence and security ties to help ensure an "open and free" Indo-Pacific.
"As two democracies, India and Australia have shared interests in a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. There is alignment of our strategic viewpoints," PM Modi told the newspaper.
