Stronger Indo-Oz Ties Take Centre Stage With Education, Innovation, Leadership
The momentum is underscored by the recent New Roadmap for Australia-India Relations, which focuses on four superhighways of growth - clean energy, education and skills, agribusiness, and tourism.
As global dynamics evolve, the India-Australia partnership is transforming into a vibrant, multi-sectoral collaboration built on democratic values, complementary strengths, and a shared ambition to lead in the 21st-century knowledge economy. No longer limited to trade and strategic cooperation, the relationship now finds its most dynamic expression in education, innovation, and leadership, key levers for sustainable nation-building. These themes were explored during a special NDTV discussion with senior leaders from Deakin University, a pioneer in the Australia-India education corridor.
The session featured Professor Iain Martin, Vice Chancellor of Deakin University; Dr Monica Kennedy, Head of Australia for South Asia at Austrade; and Ambassador Anil Wadhwa, Vice President of the India-Australia Chamber of Commerce and former Indian diplomat.
“The relationship is one of the fastest growing we’ve had with any other country. Since 2020, we've seen ties between India and Australia grow in multifaceted ways,” said Ambassador Wadhwa, citing strategic convergence in defence, trade, cybersecurity, and the Indo-Pacific vision. Bilateral trade has surged to AUD 49 billion, with mutual investments now exceeding AUD 54 billion. He emphasised that education remains one of the most powerful and catalytic elements of this partnership, with Deakin University leading equitable, future-forward education collaboration.
The momentum is underscored by the recent New Roadmap for Australia-India Relations, which focuses on four superhighways of growth - clean energy, education and skills, agribusiness, and tourism, creating nearly 50 avenues of collaboration.
“Certainly, the relationship between India and Australia has always been a warm, friendly one,” said Dr Monica Kennedy. “But now, it’s grounded in a real recognition of the alignment of our values and interests in the region.” She credited India's National Education Policy 2020 for opening the doors to genuine academic collaboration. "The NEP has opened up here and opened up opportunities for us to engage authentically," she noted, citing reforms like mutual recognition of qualifications and the facilitation of foreign campuses in India.
“We couldn't be doing what we're doing in India now without the enablement that NEP gave us,” echoed Professor Iain Martin. He pointed to Deakin’s launch of its GIFT City campus in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City as a direct outcome of NEP’s progressive vision. As India’s first international teaching campus, the Deakin GIFT City initiative showcases how responsive academic institutions can be when policies support innovation.
The campus offers globally accredited postgraduate degrees in Cyber Security and Business Analytics, and beyond affordability, the curriculum, which is co-designed with leading Indian industry names, ensures that students graduate with future-ready skills. "If you talk to employers or students or their families, they want a really strong education, but alongside that, they want to leave university with the other set of core skills," said Martin. “That’s where pairing great university education with strengthening VET vocational training will be really important.’
Dr Kennedy added that Australia’s dual model of higher education and vocational training offers a replicable framework for India, particularly as the country seeks to skill its demographic powerhouse with over 900 million people under age 35. “What we need, what India needs, and what Australia needs is the integration of skills and higher education.”
India is now the fifth-largest economy, on track to surpass Germany and Japan to become the world’s third-largest. With a 6.5% GDP growth rate, an expanding middle class, and a booming digital economy, India is fast becoming a strategic destination for knowledge investment. Australia’s targeted efforts like the second phase of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the formation of the Australia-India CEO Forum are designed to support this potential.
Beyond academia, innovation diplomacy is flourishing. Dr Kennedy spotlighted joint opportunities in clean energy, AI, cybersecurity, and critical minerals. "India's ambition for renewable energy is absolutely extraordinary, and Australia's capability, particularly in solar power, offers a significant opportunity for knowledge exchange," she said. Ambassador Wadhwa echoed the need for cross-sectoral capacity building to match the ambitions of India's youth and workforce.
Professor Martin concluded by highlighting Deakin’s long-standing commitment to India, marked by over AUD 50 million invested in scholarships and partnerships over three decades. “We’re always looking at ways that we can use Deakin’s educational excellence but combine it with new approaches, innovative ideas, and technology to reduce the cost,” he said, referencing Deakin’s affordable "two-plus-two" model, where students can start their studies in India and complete them in Australia.
With over 480,000 Indian students studying in Australia and nearly 450,000 Indian tourist footfalls annually, the people-to-people bond is becoming the cornerstone of this vibrant relationship. As both nations invest in clean energy transitions, digital capability, and talent development, the education corridor led by institutions like Deakin is not just a bridge; it’s a superhighway to shared prosperity.
As India and Australia step deeper into the Asian Century, this partnership will play a defining role in shaping the future of global education, innovation ecosystems, and inclusive economic development, with Deakin proudly at its heart.
