Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised the “warmth of the Indian people” and described Indian Australians as central to modern Australia, using a speech in Canberra to underline the growing weight of the Australia-India relationship.

Speaking at Parliament House for the 40th anniversary celebration of the Australia-India Business Council, Albanese said the size of the parliamentary attendance showed the value his government placed on ties with India and the Indian Australian community.

“One of the things I found, above everything else, is the warmth of the Indian people, and that’s the basis, the diaspora here,” Albanese said.

“I want to thank every person who’s proud of the Indian origins has made Australia their home, because you’ve enriched Australia through your presence.”

The Prime Minister said Indian Australians had helped build businesses, create jobs and strengthen the link between the two countries.

“Your entrepreneurship has helped build jobs and helped build businesses in this country. It is that link between our two countries that is so important,” he said.

Albanese also used the speech to recall his own visits to India, including backpacking through the country in the early 1990s, travelling by train and bus, visiting Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur and later the Akshardham temple near Delhi.

He said those visits had shaped his view of India beyond official diplomacy, urging Australian MPs to experience the country through its people.

“If you want to visit India, forget the High Commission and what they’ll tell you to do. Get on a train, get on a train, and you will get to meet Indian people, and you will be fed, and you’ll be told stories, and you’ll be welcomed,” he said.

The Prime Minister also reflected on his 2023 visit to Gujarat, where he attended the fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He recalled travelling around the stadium in a chariot-style vehicle as tens of thousands of people cheered and held up mobile phones.

Albanese said the moment reflected the “generosity of spirit between Australians and Indians” and the care India had put into the visit.

The speech comes as Australia and India continue to deepen their formal partnership across trade, defence, education, clean energy, technology, mobility and people-to-people links. In their 2024 annual summit statement, Albanese and Modi noted progress under the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, further work towards a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, and growing cooperation across renewable energy, critical minerals, space, defence, education and skills.

Albanese said there was “no greater time to engage economically with India than now”, pointing to India’s population, democratic system, economic rise and areas of growth that complement Australia’s strengths.

“It is on track to be the third largest economy by the end of this decade,” he said.

He also highlighted India’s work in medical research, AI, robotics and high-tech industries, naming centres such as Hyderabad and Mumbai, as well as major Indian companies with a presence in Australia, including Tata.

The Prime Minister announced that the Centre for Australia India Relations had awarded a $200,000 Maitri grant to the AIBC to promote business ties with India.

“That is fitting and practical recognition. Because for 40 years, this organisation has been central to building that relationship,” he said.

Albanese also looked ahead to Modi’s expected visit to Australia, saying he was looking forward to further contact with the Indian Australian community.

“So, when Prime Minister Modi, of course, comes here in a short period of time, for the second time since I’ve been Prime Minister,

I’m so looking forward to the engagement with the community, because it is a community without whom modern Australia would be hard to imagine.”

He used the speech to make a clear statement on migration, rejecting any division between migrants and Australian-born citizens.

“I assure you that our position on migration, when it comes to the Indian community, is one of welcoming, welcoming as Australians.

And you will never hear from me a distinction drawn between migrants and Australians.”

The remarks place the Indian Australian community at the centre of Canberra’s wider India strategy. For the Albanese Government, the relationship is no longer viewed only through trade or diplomacy, but through the fast-growing diaspora, business ties, education, sport and shared regional interests in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific.

Albanese said modern Australia would be “hard to imagine” without the Indian community, a statement likely to be welcomed by many Indian Australians at a time when migration, identity and social cohesion remain active political debates.

He congratulated the AIBC on its 40-year milestone and said the organisation’s work had helped both countries build a stronger future.

“A relationship that helps India, but also helps Australia. One that helps build us up as well as partners in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

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