Western Australian Premier Roger Cook is leading a trade and investment mission to India, with the State seeking to deepen economic ties and expand opportunities across education, energy, tourism, agriculture and aviation.
The 17–25 September mission comes as the University of Western Australia (UWA) opens its Mumbai campus, making it the first Australian Group of Eight university to establish a campus in India.
Cook is scheduled to attend the opening and meet senior government, business and education representatives in Mumbai and Delhi to strengthen Western Australia’s economic partnership with India.
India is WA’s largest international student market, with more than 15,000 enrolments recorded last year.
The mission will also promote opportunities in investment, tourism and creative industries, including the new Perth Film Studios, alongside WA’s established strengths in mining and the energy transition.
A key priority for the Cook Government is establishing a direct air connection between Perth and India. Meetings with major Indian airlines are planned during the visit.
“My number one priority for future direct flights is to secure a connection between Perth and India.”
The Premier said India is among Western Australia’s largest trading partners and that closer relationships with both markets could support opportunities across mining, energy, defence, agriculture, education and tourism.
At the UWA Mumbai campus inauguration, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the establishment as a milestone for Mumbai and Maharashtra, highlighting opportunities for collaboration in areas including artificial intelligence, healthcare, clean energy, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing.
Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green also joined Cook and Fadnavis at the milestone event.
Fadnavis said the campus reflected Mumbai’s growing role as a global hub for knowledge, innovation, technology and talent, while creating new opportunities for students, researchers, startups and industry.
The UWA Mumbai campus is expected to strengthen academic and research links between India and Australia while expanding opportunities for collaboration between the university, Indian industry and Maharashtra’s education and innovation ecosystem.
Cook said face-to-face engagement with governments and businesses was important to strengthening WA’s long-term relationships with both markets.
“There is no substitute for sitting down with businesses and governments face-to-face,” Cook said, adding that the mission was aimed at creating WA jobs and business opportunities “now and for the future.”
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
