Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson has concluded a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his official visit to Melbourne, with the Indian leader inviting the Victorian Liberal Nationals to send a delegation to India to observe upcoming state elections.
Ms Wilson met Prime Minister Modi on Friday alongside Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Shadow Foreign Minister Ted O’Brien, following the Melbourne Meets Modi community event at Marvel Stadium.
On Thursday evening, Ms Wilson attended the community gathering with Deputy Leader David Southwick, Shadow Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Affairs Evan Mulholland, and Shadow Minister for Police and Corrections Brad Battin, where she formally welcomed Prime Minister Modi to Melbourne on behalf of the Victorian Liberal Nationals.
Prime Minister Modi spoke warmly about the shared values between the Liberal Party and India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the meeting.
In what Ms Wilson described as a significant gesture, Prime Minister Modi invited the Victorian Liberal Nationals to send a delegation to India as observers for forthcoming state elections and also extended a personal invitation for Ms Wilson and her team to visit India.
Ms Wilson thanked the Prime Minister for the invitation and conveyed the good wishes of Victoria’s Indian diaspora community.
“It was a great honour to welcome Prime Minister Modi to Melbourne this week, and to introduce him to my team,” Ms Wilson said.
“Victoria is home to one of the largest and fastest-growing Indian communities in the country, and their contribution to our state is enormous.”
She said the meeting reflected the close relationship between Australia and India.
“Our meeting was incredibly warm and reflected the deep and enduring friendship between Australia and India. Prime Minister Modi and I discussed the profound economic, cultural, and democratic ties that bind Victoria and India together,” she said.
“Victoria is home to a dynamic Indian diaspora, and strengthening our state’s relationship with India is a key priority for my team.”
Ms Wilson said she was honoured by the invitation to visit India and to lead a Liberal delegation.
“I was deeply touched by the Prime Minister’s generous invitation to visit India and for the invitation extended to our team to observe the upcoming state elections. I look forward to leading a delegation to India to further build on these vital economic and cultural ties,” she said.
She added that she had conveyed the good wishes of Victoria’s Indian community to Prime Minister Modi: “During our meeting, I was proud to pass on the good wishes of Victoria’s thriving Indian diaspora, which the Prime Minister received so warmly.”
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals will always champion a strong and close relationship with India, and I look forward to building on the discussions we had this week.”
The meeting comes as Australia and India continue to deepen cooperation across trade, defence, education, technology and people-to-people ties during Prime Minister Modi’s third official visit to Australia.
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