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India’s growing engagement with Western Australia, spanning trade, education, technology, tourism and the push for direct air connectivity, took center stage at a reception celebrating India’s 80th Independence Day at the Duxton Hotel in Perth on August 17.
The Consulate General of India in Perth hosted the reception, with Consul General Kajari Biswas welcoming Governor of Western Australia Christopher Dawson, Premier Roger Cook, ministers, parliamentarians, members of the diplomatic corps, business and academic leaders, and community representatives.
Addressing the gathering, Biswas paid tribute to the “extraordinary courage and sacrifice” of India’s freedom fighters, saying their vision extended beyond independence to a nation founded on “democracy, justice, equality and opportunity for all.” She said India had since emerged as the world’s largest democracy and one of the fastest growing major economies, entering a transformative period guided by the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
She highlighted India’s digital transformation, including the Jan Dhan Aadhaar Mobile (JAM) trinity and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which she said serves more than 504 million users and 65 million merchants across 731 banks, and was expanding internationally. She also pointed to India’s space program, including Chandrayaan 3 and the Aditya L1 solar mission, and said the country was seeking to expand its space economy to US$44 billion by 2033.
Turning to Australia, Biswas described it as one of India’s closest strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific, with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership expanding across trade, investment, education, space exploration, defense, critical minerals, clean energy, maritime security, technology and innovation. She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s July visit to Australia had delivered a joint declaration on defense and security cooperation, a maritime security collaboration roadmap, a joint statement on energy security and finalization of administrative arrangements for the India Australia Civil Nuclear Agreement, alongside the India Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap.
Western Australia, she said, occupied “a unique place in India’s engagement with Australia,” citing opportunities arising from WA’s strengths in mining, critical minerals, clean energy, education and innovation. She pointed to Australian support for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program through collaboration involving the Australian Space Agency, the Indian Space Research Organization and Australian industry partners.
Education was another growing pillar, with Biswas highlighting the University of Western Australia’s planned campuses in Mumbai and Chennai, with the first intake expected in September 2026.
Turning to the Indian diaspora, Biswas said the community continued to grow in “numbers, influence and achievement,” contributing across healthcare, education, research, engineering and mining. “You represent the very best of India’s values of hard work, resilience, diversity and excellence, and serve as a living bridge between our two nations,” she said.
Biswas also highlighted the contribution of Perdaman Chairman Vikas Rambal, whose urea project is expected to generate an average of around 2,000 jobs during its four year construction phase and 200 permanent jobs in Karratha once complete. She also referenced a separate $4 million pre-feasibility study, jointly funded by the WA and federal governments and announced July 28, for what the Prime Minister and Premier said could be Australia’s first large scale petrol refinery built since the 1960s.
Biswas also recognized members of Western Australia’s Indian community for achievements across science, the arts, agriculture and medicine. Among those acknowledged were Atul Garg, conferred the Medal of the Order of Australia in this year’s King’s Birthday Honors; Ravinder Raj Anand, appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2026 Australia Day Honors; Rakhi Bose, named Artist of the Year at the 2026 Western Australian Multicultural Awards; Professor Zora Singh, recognized with an international horticultural science award; Professor Rajeev Varshney, recognized among the 2026 Top Agri-Food Pioneers by the World Food Prize Foundation; and Professor Girish Dwivedi, named Researcher of the Year at the 2026 South Metropolitan Health Service Excellence Awards.
She thanked the reception’s sponsors: Vikas Rambal, Chairman of Perdaman; Rakesh Prabhakar, Head of Operations at Zoho Australia and New Zealand; Ranajit Das, CEO of Legacy Iron Ore Limited; and Shine James Varghese, Managing Director of Thejo Australia Pty Ltd.
“May the bonds between India and Australia continue to flourish for generations to come,” Biswas said.
Governor Dawson congratulated India on eight decades of independence, describing it as the world’s largest democracy and a global leader in technology and innovation, built on shared democratic values, adherence to the rule of law and the Indian Ocean connection.
The Governor drew laughter turning to another shared passion, cricket, asking guests to “expunge from your memory the last three days” and instead reflect on the longer history of competition between the two countries. He noted the relationship extended far beyond contemporary links: “Our joint history is not just a recent one. It goes back to early seafarers, cameleers, merchants,” he said, thanking Western Australia’s Indian diaspora for its “immeasurable contribution.”
Premier Cook described India’s transformation over the past 80 years as a trajectory from traditional industries towards biotechnology, space and other technology based industries. He said Western Australia was home to more than 66,000 people born in India, with many more Western Australians of Indian heritage contributing across education, healthcare, business and the arts.
Cook also identified tourism as an area with room for growth, saying India was Western Australia’s sixth largest source of overseas visitors, “and we want to make it more.” He then turned to direct air connectivity: “I’ve just got to get that direct flight going. There’s one thing I’ve got to do before I finish being Premier: get that direct flight.”
Cook highlighted expanding education links following Modi’s July visit, during which Western Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutions and the University of Western Australia signed new agreements with Indian partners. On trade, he noted Western Australia opened its first state investment and trade office in Mumbai in 1996, later expanding to Chennai, with India now Western Australia’s seventh largest trading partner in the past financial year and two-way trade valued at $7.7 billion.
Recalling the major WA investment and trade mission he led to India in July 2022, Cook said it had opened Western Australians’ “eyes and minds” to the opportunities of deeper engagement with India. “It’s incredible what India has done in the last 80 years,” he said. “Imagine where that incredible economy and country is going to, and we want to be part of that journey.”
The formal addresses were followed by a performance by Praashekh Borkar, a Perth-based Indian classical musician introduced as having collaborated with artists including A.R. Rahman and Shankar Mahadevan over a career spanning decades.
The reception concluded with a vote of thanks by Consul Naresh Kumar, Head of Chancery at the Consulate General of India in Perth, who returned to the evening’s theme of direct air connectivity with some humor. Saying he had been planning to visit India for two years and had already received approval for leave from the Consul General, Kumar said he was still waiting for a direct flight to make the journey.
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