EAM Jaishankar inaugurates India’s new consulate in Brisbane
External affairs minister S Jaishankar said bilateral ties have undergone a transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese
India’s new consulate in the Australian city of Brisbane was inaugurated on Monday by external affairs minister S Jaishankar, who said ties between the two countries have been transformed in recent years by developments such as a trade deal that opened numerous opportunities.
The opening of the new consulate is a milestone in the increasingly strong bilateral relationship and an acknowledgement of the growing importance of the Australian state of Queensland, which holds an “important place in many ways in our burgeoning ties”, Jaishankar said.
Queensland is home to almost 100,000 out of the nearly one million people of Indian-origin living in Australia, and India is the state’s second-largest export market. Besides Brisbane, India has consulates in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The consulate in Brisbane will be headed by consul general Neetu Bhagotia, a career diplomat who has had stints in the Indian missions in Bhutan and Russia. She has also worked in the Western Europe, Central Europe and policy planning divisions of the external affairs ministry.
Jaishankar said a majority of India-Australia trade is driven by Queensland, where the India diaspora is “strong and growing”. The consulate’s team will serve the growing diaspora and students and promote ties in economy, education and research, he said.
“With the new consulate, I also want to tell the Indian community and people of Indian-origin resident in Australia that your consular needs would be addressed in a timely manner and with much greater convenience,” he added.
Jaishankar noted that he was making his fifth visit to Australia in three years, and said this reflects the “growing intensity of our cooperation”. Bilateral ties have undergone a transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
“The Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement is one indication of that. It has certainly opened up huge trade opportunities for our countries and we hope to take that to the next level...Queensland actually accounts for the vast majority of exports from Australia to India,” he said.
The Indian diaspora in Australia, which underpins people-to-people ties, has earned respect through its contributions in academia, research, technology, business and healthcare, he said.
Queensland Governor Jeannette Young, who also addressed the inauguration ceremony, said the opening of the consulate is symbolic of the growing and strengthening relationship between India and the Australian state. Brisbane, the city of Ipswich and Hyderabad are “tripartite sister cities”, and Queensland benefits from close connections in diverse industries and fields such as trade, investment, agriculture, manufacturing, engineering, technology and renewable energy, she said.
India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, and two-way trade increased from $22.2 billion in 2021 to $31.4 billion in 2022, marking a growth of 41%. India’s exports to Australia grew by 38% from $6.3 billion in 2021 to $8.7 billion during this period.
As of July 2024, Queensland’s exports to India touched $4.5 billion while its imports were worth $375 million, with a significant surplus in favour of the Australian state. However, India accounted only for 3.95% of Queensland’s total global exports, which were worth $113.8 billion.
Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Australia, also visited the Humanitarian Logistics Capability (HLC) warehouse for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies for the Pacific. “Disaster relief in Indo-Pacific is an emerging element of our bilateral ties. Appreciate Australia’s support for delivery of relief material to Papua New Guinea in June 2024. HADR has also been an important element of QUAD endeavours,” he said on X.