annual report 2018 - australia india institute · 2019-06-11 · aii director’s report 4...

ANNUAL REPORT 2018

B | Australia India Institute | 2018 Annual Report

Aii VISIONTo become the leading centre for engaged research on contemporary India outside the subcontinent.

Building long-term capacity in Australia for engagement with India

Enabling better policy-making in relation to India in Australia

2018 Annual Report | Australia India Institute | 1

Engaging with business and community partners

Encouraging two-way mobility between Australia and India

2 | Australia India Institute | 2018 Annual Report

The Australia India Institute, based at The University of Melbourne, is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, the State Government of Victoria and The University of Melbourne

Copyright: Australia India Institute 2019


CONTENTS

Aii Director’s Report 4Chair’s Report 6

Aii@Delhi - Director's Report 8Report from UNSW Sydney 10

Report from La Trobe University 12Aii in Numbers 14

Our Core Themes 16Our Events in 2018 18

New Generation Network 20Australia India Leadership Dialogue 26

Victoria India Internship Program 28Policy & Advocacy 32

Industry Engagement 34Projects in 2018 36

Our People 38Our Partners 46

Research Publications 48Financial Information 52


Aii DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Last year was a great success for the Australia India Institute. Highlights included facilitating the visit of the President of India, Mr Ram Nath Kovind, to the University of Melbourne, convening the Australia India Leadership Dialogue in Delhi, and hosting India’s Minister for Human Resource Development, Mr Prakash Javadekar. We also ran a major early career conference, held our second India Week in Melbourne, convened an international conference on youth, and launched the Victorian Government’s new India Strategy in Melbourne and Delhi. We signed an agreement with the University of Western Australia to establish an Affiliate Centre in Perth and enlarged our New Generation Network of post-doctoral scholars.

Our researchers have also achieved a great deal of success. For example, Dr Trent Brown and Dr Amanda Gilbertson have both been awarded highly prestigious DECRA grants by the Australian Research Council. Associate Professor Haripriya Rangan and Dr Surjeet Dogra Dhanji have studied Australia’s burgeoning Indian diaspora and how it can be leveraged to forge deeper bilateral trade and investment ties with India.


Most recently, the team at the Aii have developed a new strategy. The mission of the Institute in the next five years is to build capacity to address key challenges related to education, health, infrastructure and governance and security through:

• Advancing research on India in Australia

• Developing long-term research capacity on India in Australia

• Increasing opportunities for two-way mobility between India and Australia

• Facilitating dialogues, roundtables and partnerships with government and business

• Partnering with the Indian diaspora in Australia to build social and cultural links

We have an excellent group of friends and supporters in universities, government, business, and the community who can assist us in realising this mission. For all their assistance in 2018, I would like to thank, in particular, the Board, the Advisory Panel, the Aii@Delhi, the University of Melbourne Chancellery and staff at the Aii in Melbourne.

I personally thank Professor Amitabh Mattoo who, after leading the Aii in both Melbourne and Delhi over the past seven years, leaves the Institute at the end of 2018. Amitabh has been an outstanding leader who has galvanised support for the Aii at the highest levels of government in both India and Australia, establishing the Institute’s place as a key cog in the bilateral relationship. Amitabh will continue to serve on the board of Aii@Delhi. In 2019, we welcome Ms Tanya Spisbah to lead Aii@Delhi and I look forward to working closely with her.

I would also like to thank Mr Robert Johanson, Professor Carolyn Evans, Professor Simon Evans, Professor Ruth Fincher, Professor Robin Jeffrey and – within the Institute – Associate Professor Haripriya Rangan, Dr Karen Barker, Ms Marianna Sarris, Mr Simon Papagiorcopulo, Mr Deepu Narayan, Ms Brigid Freeman, Dr Amanda Gilbertson, Ms Cassie Gardiner, Ms Tess Gross and our New Generation Network scholars. I also thank all those who attended Aii events and contributed to the vibrancy and spirit of the Institute in Australia and India.

Professor Craig JeffreyDirector and CEO, Australia India Institute

The mission of the Institute in the next five years is to build capacity to address key challenges related to education, health, infrastructure and governance and security



CHAIR’S REPORT

The Australia India Institute consolidated its reputation as one of the nation’s premier vehicles for engagement with India in 2018.

The Institute has helped develop government strategies for engagement with India this year. Aii staff made key contributions to the development of Victoria’s India Strategy, which was launched in January by Premier Daniel Andrews at events hosted by the Institute. Senior Aii staff were also involved in advising Peter Varghese’s India Economic Strategy – a report commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that was unveiled in July. The Morrison government has since adopted key elements of the report.

The Institute has hosted several high-level Indian delegations to Australia. Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar spoke at the University of Melbourne in July during a visit that saw the Australian government announce $5 million for the Institute. In November, President Ram Nath Kovind made history by becoming the first Indian head of state to visit Australia, including a stop in Melbourne hosted by the Aii. The Australia-India relationship continues to move from strength to strength.


The Australia India Leadership Dialogue was held again this year, in Delhi in January and was a great success. Thanks to the convenors Professor Amitabh Mattoo and Ross Fitzgerald and to Visy Industries, our major sponsor, as well as PwC. The Dialogue is the premier Track II dialogue between Australia and India.

2018 also saw a substantial enlargement of India Week – the Aii’s annual celebration of Indian culture, thought, politics and society. As part of this celebration, the Institute hosted the launch of the Victorian Festival of Diwali at the University of Melbourne and organised 10 events across Melbourne.

The Aii has continued its own expansion in 2018, signing an agreement with the University of Western Australia to establish an Affiliate Centre in Perth – a city that sits opportunely at the south eastern edge of the Indian Ocean. The New Generation Network will also expand to include fellows at the University of Western Australia and the University of Western Sydney.

Thank you to Director Craig Jeffrey, our directors, the Advisory Panel and all of our fellows, staff and supporters whose tireless work has made all of this year’s achievements possible. We are also particularly grateful to our founding partners La Trobe University, the University of New South Wales, and especially the University of Melbourne as our host and key funder.

With national elections to be held in both countries, 2019 will be an eventful one. As ever, the Institute will continue to work with all governments and stakeholders to deepen relations and increase the exchange of people, knowledge and goods between Australia and India

Robert JohansonChairman of the Board, Australia India Institute

The Aii has continued its own expansion in 2018, signing an agreement with the University of Western Australia to establish an Affiliate Centre in Perth



Aii@DELHI - DIRECTOR'S REPORT

The Australia India Institute@Delhi was inaugurated four years ago and has occupied its present premises for three years now. During this short period Aii@Delhi has established itself as the leading centre for the study of the Australia-India relationship in India.

Aii@Delhi is a key host of the Australia India Leadership Dialogue, the premier forum for conversations between carefully chosen thought leaders from both counties. The first round of the dialogue was held in India and included a hallmark visit to Jammu and Kashmir hosted by the state’s chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Saeed. In its second year, Australia’s Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, addressed delegates in Melbourne. The third round saw some of the most eminent leaders, opinion shapers and academics come together to discuss the way forward for the bilateral relationship. The third edition witnessed luminaries from both countries come together again. Minister David Littleproud, Senator James McGrath, Chris Bowen, Dr Swapan Dasgupta, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Senator Penny Wong, Senator Lisa Singh were just some of the formidable names that participated.


Aii@Delhi has also been facilitating productive engagement on a range of issues of interest to both countries – health, higher education, skills, literature, policy, agriculture and regional security.

Aii@Delhi has also initiated the annual Chancellor’s Oration. The inaugural edition hosted Allan Myers AC QC, Chancellor of the University of Melbourne who delivered the oration to a high profile audience from Delhi.

From ministerial visits to our offices in New Delhi to hosting the Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Aii@Delhi has consistently received the patronage of senior policy makers and academics from Australia to further its goals.

As a part of Aii@Delhi’s efforts to foster research it has hosted the Australia India Institute’s incoming leader fellows as well as other academic visitors. We also continue to support the Victoria India Internship Program under which Victorian students and graduates come to India to intern in reputed Indian companies and organisations.

No partnership between countries can be sustained without relationships between individuals. Aii@Delhi has been particularly active here. We hosted Former CEO of Zee Entertainment, Piyush Sharma, who delivered a lecture on Understanding Business by Understanding Media to students from The University of Melbourne.

Breaking new ground Aii@Delhi also forged ahead and facilitated transcription and vetting of Australian scripts for Indian corporate clients.

Amitabh MattooHonorary Director, Aii@Delhi


REPORT FROM UNSW SYDNEY

UNSW was a Distinguished Partner at the 2018 Australia India Youth Dialogue with two UNSW delegates, including Laurie Pearcey, Pro Vice-Chancellor International, attending the seventh Australia India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) in New Delhi and Mumbai. Ambassador Amit Dasgupta, distinguished Indian diplomat and former Consul-General to Sydney, and presently the UNSW India country director, participated in the opening panel discussion for the 2018 AIYD with H.E. Harinder Sidhu, the Australian High Commissioner to India, on India-Australia relations. Fiona Docherty, Vice President, External Relations at UNSW also attended the 2018 Australia India Leadership Dialogue as an invited observer.

As Australia announced a new policy blueprint to drive the bilateral relationship over the next two decades, with education highlighted as a "flagship sector", the new UNSW India Centre in New Delhi was launched in July. The Centre will support the University’s efforts to build landmark research and education partnerships, as well as increase student enrolments from India. During the opening, UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor International Laurie Pearcey said: “The new UNSW India Centre is testament to the University’s commitment to India and the importance this extraordinary country will play in the life of Australia’s global university.” The Australian High Commissioner to India and the Joint Secretary Ministry of External Affairs were Chief Guests at the event.

UNSW Sydney leaders joined Indian community and business leaders to commemorate India’s Martyr’s Day – the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination on 30 January 1948 – at the annual Gandhi Remembrance Ceremony and Gandhi Oration. The events signify the close ties between India and UNSW. The University is the only higher education institution in Australia to celebrate Martyr’s Day and is home to one of only two bronze sculptures of Gandhi in New South Wales. UNSW also hosts the annual Gandhi Jayanti, a celebration of Gandhi’s birthday on 2 October. UNSW President and Vice-

Throughout 2018, the University of New South Wales’ ongoing engagement and transformative partnerships with India deepened. Collaboration with the Australia India Institute has contributed towards UNSW’s successful India story.


Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs said “We acknowledge that we are fortunate to partner with a country that has held knowledge and learning in high esteem for millennia.” This year’s Oration was delivered by Tim Costello AO, one of Australia’s leading voices on social justice and humanitarian issues.

UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs delivered the George Institute for Global Health’s Inaugural Evidence2Policy lecture in New Delhi. As a world authority on the early detection and risk prediction of ovarian and cervical cancers, the Vice-Chancellor presented a thought-provoking overview of his work over the past 30 years to a captivated audience of Indian health professionals and journalists from across major Indian news outlets.

In December UNSW co-created and co-hosted the prestigious GRIHA Summit in New Delhi with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) – a first in the Summit’s history and an acknowledgement of our global reputation as a powerhouse of cutting-edge research in environmental sustainability and smart cities. UNSW’s partnership with GRIHA and TERI is one of a series of strategic investments towards developing transformative relationships to support UNSW’s India Strategy, which complements the developmental aspirations of the Indian Government.

Laurie PearceyPro Vice-Chancellor International


REPORT FROM LA TROBE UNIVERSITY

La Trobe University’s engagement with India in 2018 was supported through La Trobe Asia and its partnership with the Australia India Institute.

PUBLIC EVENTSIn 2018, La Trobe Asia presented two India focused public events:1. La Trobe Asia hosted a lunchtime seminar Superbugs

and Slow Violence in India for staff, students and members of the public, presented by Dr Assa Doron, in May at the Bundoora campus.

2. La Trobe Asia, in collaboration with the Australia India Institute, hosted the Melbourne book launch for Waste of a Nation: Garbage and Growth in India, written by Assa Doron and Robin Jeffrey. Over 130 people were in attendance at the event held at The Wheeler Centre in May.

3. La Trobe Asia, in collaboration with the Australia India Institute, hosted the second Travelling Chai in October at the Bundoora campus.

Additionally, the Indian Student Club at La Trobe University presented a whole day of activities to celebrate India’s Independence Day 2018 and Diwali was celebrated in October (presented by La Trobe International). These events took place in the Agora at the Bundoora campus and were very well attended.

MEDIALa Trobe Asia’s podcast Asia Rising featured a number of interviews on India throughout 2018.

India’s Statue of Unity – Dr Alexander Davis (New Generation Network Postdoctoral Fellow, Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University) speaks about the world’s tallest statue in the state of Gujarat.

Recycling in India – Associate Professor Assa Doron (College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University) speaks to Matt Smith (La Trobe Asia) about the challenges of waste in India, an important and visible issue.

Pollution and priorities in India (Asia and the environment #1) – Professor Amrita Baviskar (Economic Institute of Growth, Delhi) speaks to Matt Smith (La Trobe Asia) about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitments to clean up India, and his ability to follow through with those promises.

La Trobe Asia partnered with the Australia India Institute on a special series of India-focused podcasts called ‘India Rising’. The podcast explores how India works, and how it got to be the country that it is today. Hosted by Matt Smith, featuring Robin Jeffrey, Assa Doron and Ian Woolford.


Adam Roberts, The Economist's former South Asian correspondent and author of Superfast Primetime Ultimate Nation: the Relentless Invention of Modern India spoke to Matt Smith from La Trobe Asia about PM Modi’s strong views and leadership on economics.

Additionally, a four-episode podcast series on Gandhi has been recorded and uploaded to the Biography Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/biography with Dr Thomas Weber, Honorary Research Associate of Politics and Philosophy.

Finally, in 2017, the Executive Director of La Trobe Asia, Nick Bisley, wrote a regular column in The Conversation where two pieces had a focus on India:

• 'Australia and India: some way to go yet'

• 'China-India border dispute a grim sign for stability in Asia'

RESEARCHThe seventh issue of La Trobe Asia’s print publication Asia Rising featured a piece from Dr Ruth Gamble (David Myers Research Fellow – environmental historian) on her research into the history of the Brahmaputra River, a shared resource between India, China and Bangladesh.

La Trobe Asia hosted a research networking symposium for all researchers working on the Himalaya region in July at the Bundoora campus with some of the participants sharing their India-focused research.

In collaboration with the Australia India Institute, La Trobe Asia hosted the Next Generation Network Retreat in October at the Bundoora campus.

La Trobe Asia also awarded three small grants of up to $5,000 on Community and Clinical Allied Health, Dentistry, and Politics and Philosophy. In addition, La Trobe Asia awarded a Visiting Fellow grant to bring Professor K. Krishnan, Dean, Faculty of Arts, MS University Baroda, India to La Trobe University.

TEACHING AND STUDENT EXPERIENCEIn 2018, as part of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, La Trobe hosted the production team of the hit film Sanju. The event was a conversation led by Dr Ian Woolford with director Rajkumari Hiram and writer Abhijat Joshi. Hindi students had a chance to speak with both individuals during their visit.

A total of 90 La Trobe students visited India on Short Term Programs (50% more than 2017).

OTHER ACTIVITYIn April and October, senior delegations including the Vice-Chancellor, travelled to India for partnership visits, alumni events and Ministry visits.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/biography


7 Reports

Aii IN NUMBERS38

Public Lectures

72 Events

2 Books

5 new A VERY SHORT POLICY BRIEFS

12 Newsletters



652,100 Total Twitter impressions

68 Blogs and news items

476 New Facebook likes

505 New Twitter followers

9 Internships

7 Podcasts



OUR CORE THEMES

The Australia India Institute’s activities focus on four sectors of the bilateral relationship: education, health, infrastructure, and governance and security. Activities in these areas hold great potential for Australia-India ties and have been identified by Australia’s Federal and State governments priority sectors



Higher education represents a key point of engagement between Australia and India, both in terms of international mobility, research collaborations, and joint PhD programs. There is potential for Australian vocational education and training (VET) providers and enterprises operating in India to collaborate with Indian partners to pursue the Skill India agenda. The Institute has significant research expertise in the bilateral education sector and will continue to develop this expertise in support of the Australian government’s goals in the National Strategy for International Education 2025. The focus is on facilitating mobility, promoting qualifications recognition, and enhancing opportunities for Australian providers in India and for Indian students to access quality Australian education in India and Australia.

Strengthening bilateral ties in the health sector has the potential to lead to more vibrant future engagement between Australia and India. While both countries are at different stages of their socioeconomic development and epidemiologic transitions, there is increasing convergence in disease trends, for example, the rapidly increasing disease burden associated with lifestyle-related chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and cancers. There are also many complementarities between the Australian and Indian health sectors, with areas of strength in Australia matching areas of need in India and vice versa. The Aii aims to be a key partner in driving collaborations to support improvements in health outcomes and health services training in India and Australia through evidence-based solutions and capacity development.

The Institute’s work in the infrastructure sector is focused on renewable energy – including the development of solar technology and micro grids in India – urban infrastructure and environmental management, and agriculture and rural development. The Aii helps to build and support partnerships that increase access to renewable energy in India, improve urban planning and contribute to rural development and agricultural technologies.

Over the last decade, Australia and India have recognised each other as important partners with many shared interests in the security of the Indo-Pacific. The two countries now need to translate this into practical cooperation, including working together to build new security architecture in the region. In this sector, the Aii will focus on international relations and security; voter engagement and electoral reform; social mobilisation, activism, civil society and social change – with particular reference to youth and governance, personal law and public safety, unique identification (UID) and privacy; digital social media and security.

INFRASTRUCTURE

GOVERNANCE AND SECURITY

HEALTH

EDUCATION


KEYWORDS FOR INDIA SERIESThe Keywords for India series continued to bring thought leaders to Melbourne to discuss key issues in contemporary India. 2018 witnessed the delivery of two Keywords lectures.

On a visit from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Professor Srila Roy delivered a rousing lecture on the development of Indian feminism over the past four decades and reflected on contemporary challenges and opportunities.

In October, Dr Jeff Redding gave a fascinating presentation on the regulation of Muslim courts and Muslim divorce in India, explored the defining features that make an institution a ‘court’ and their role in everyday social life.

QUESTION MARKS SEMINAR SERIESThe Institute launched its Question Marks Seminar series in 2018 with a mandate to stimulate discussion on global issues through an Indian lens. The Series brought together academics from across the Australia-India boundary, as well as industry representatives and officials.

Highlights of the 2018 Series included hosting the Indian Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ms Shakuntala D. Gamlin; a panel featuring guests from IIIT-Bangalore on the future of work; and convening a multi-disciplinary discussion on how to achieve universal electricity access in India.

DROP IN CHAIThe Drop in Chai continued to be a popular fixture on the Institute’s event calendar. Held on the first Friday of every month during semester times, this informal networking session offers South Asia enthusiasts an opportunity to meet and discuss current developments in the Australia-India relationship, as well as their own work in this space.

THE LAUNCH OF VICTORIA’S INDIA STRATEGYIn January, the Institute hosted Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to launch a decade-long plan to strengthen Victoria’s engagement with India entitled Victoria’s “India Strategy: Our Shared Future”. Premier Andrews lauded the Institute as “a jewel” that “provides us with a critical sense of how we write that next chapter into the future”.

The Australia India Institute built on the quantity, quality and diversity of its events program in 2018 with resounding success. In total, 72 events were delivered this year, including public lectures, seminars, roundtables, networking events and cultural exhibitions.

OUR EVENTS IN 2018



Image: Bunker Roy, Barefoot College founder

The evening brought together leaders across academia, the diaspora community, government and industry at the University of Melbourne. This was followed a week later by a parallel launch in Delhi hosted by the Australia India Institute@Delhi.

BOOK LAUNCH OF MODERN INDIA – A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION

Australia India Institute Director Craig Jeffrey celebrated the launch of his latest book Modern India – A Very Short Introduction in March. The book, which is part of a prestigious series published by Oxford University Press, provides an account of India’s recent history, investigates the contradictions and complexities of this diverse country and the manner in which people, especially young people, are actively remaking the country.

INDIA WEEKIn October, the Institute held its second annual India Week – a celebration of contemporary Indian culture, thought, politics and society. It aims to promote mutual understanding between Australia and India, increase engagement with Indian culture and strengthen people-to-people links between our two countries.

2018 witnessed a substantial enlargement of India Week activities. A gathering of Victorian policy-makers were joined by community representatives and the media to launch both India Week and Celebrate India’s Victorian Festival of Diwali. Other activities throughout the week included public talks on policy issues relating to India, networking events, an academic conference, a Bollywood film screening and a free public yoga session.

PUBLIC LECTURE BY INDIA’S PRESIDENTThe Australia India Institute was honoured to co-host the President of the Republic of India, Mr Ram Nath Kovind at the University of Melbourne in November. On the first ever visit of an Indian head of state to Australia, President Kovind addressed an audience of 350 on the topic of ‘Australia and India as Knowledge Partners’.



NEW GENERATIONNETWORK

The New Generation Network of post-doctoral scholars emphasises the Institute’s mission of promoting innovative world-class research, especially through recruiting early career faculty, and developing mechanisms for these intellectuals to deliver policy-relevant research on contemporary India. Since 2015 the Aii has obtained commitments from six Australian universities to fund and host a New Generation Network (NGN) of 12 post-doctoral scholars. This amounts to a $3.5 million investment, with new commitments currently being negotiated with other universities across Australia.

Under the Network, The University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, La Trobe University, Deakin University, University of Sydney, and Queensland University of Technology contribute greatly to the national impact and profile of the Aii through research and activity across Australia.


DR ALEX DAVIS La Trobe UniversityDr Davis is investigating how Australia and India can become better connected through cultural and diasporic ties and through finding new forms of mutual understanding, working from a postcolonial perspective. He is leading the discussion of this issue through academic publishing, having recently published three journal articles and a book on the subject. Alex is also engaging beyond academia by producing media commentaries on Australia’s approach to engaging India, as well as running study tours with La Trobe University and with CERES global, which take Australian students to India.

DR JONATHAN BALLS The University of MelbourneDr Balls is working on understanding the implications of renewable energy transitions in India and private sector involvement in delivering electricity. He is also mapping how India acts as a laboratory for frugal innovation, with a focus on start-ups in Bangalore. His work is revealing how electricity, development, and democratic politics mesh, which is crucial to understanding efforts to deliver universal electricity access. Jonathan has drawn on his research expertise on the politics of electricity to engage beyond academia, most recently publishing in the Hindustan Times and Pursuit. He has been interviewed about his work on the political economy of electricity in India on ABC’s Late Night Live and Radio Geelong.


DR JEFF REDDING University of MelbourneDr Redding is working on secularism in India and the ways in which it depends just as much on non-state legal actors as it does on state legal processes. He is currently finishing a book manuscript on this topic entitled A Secular Need: Islamic Law, Legal Pluralism, and the Making of State Governance in Contemporary India. Jeff’s future research will see him work with and between Indian and Australian institutions on better refining and implementing secular processes in everyday legal situations.

DR KOMALI YENNETI University of New South WalesDr Yenneti is conducting research into the planning of sustainable and resilient ‘smart cities’ in India. She has been awarded a grant from the University of New South Wales to pursue the “Australia India Knowledge Exchange Project”, which consisted of three workshops in India and in Australia, and produced a policy brief on “Making Indian Cities Energy Smart”. Komali’s work has also informed her co-authorship of the book Guidelines for Sustainable Cities and Communities in China.


DR SUBRATO BANERJEE Queensland University of TechnologyDr Banerjee is investigating whether it is possible to find a critical sample size beyond which observed levels of statistical significance should be doubted or questioned – a problem that was deemed mathematically impossible previously. With collaborators from the University of Cambridge, he is also designing a game-theory based experiment that seeks to address the question of which is a stronger determinant of investment behaviour: the experience of winning in the past or the expectation of winning in the future. Subrato frequently writes for media outlets including India’s Business Standard, Indian Express, and Financial Express.

DR AMY PIEDALUE University of MelbourneDr Piedalue is investigating everyday politics and community organising for gender justice. She is working on several projects across India, Australia and the US, including co-organising a network of scholars interested in ‘quiet’ social movements and critical urban theory emerging from the Global South. Amy recently completed an evaluation of a bystander intervention program working to prevent gender-based violence in multi-faith communities in Victoria. This project involved collaboration with the Victorian Government’s Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion Division, the Faith Communities Council of Victoria, and a community organisation, Think Prevent.


DR PAWAN SINGH Deakin UniversityDr Singh is conducting research into privacy in India from a cultural, legal and technological perspective. He is currently writing a monograph on the privacy debate in the context of India’s unique identity program, Aadhaar. Pawan has been featured discussing his work on radio, including with the ABC and Brisbane-based outlet The Wire.

DR GEOFF SCHOENBERG Deakin UniversityDr Schoenberg has been working on improving the legitimacy of Indian sport organisations through improved governance frameworks. He has conducted empirical research on the subject and presented at high profile conferences in India, including the Sport Law and Policy Symposium and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s Global Sports Summit. Geoff also launched a podcast called "The President's Lounge" to help interested parties learn about sport governance.


DR MARK VICOL University of SydneyDr Vicol’s research focuses on two big issues of critical importance to rural development in India: the changing nature of food environments in rural India and the outcomes for food and nutrition security; and the cultural, political and socio-economic impacts of contract farming. Along with research partners at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, he is currently developing a pioneering multidisciplinary study to adapt this concept to the Indian context. Mark has collaborated with small and medium enterprises in India to understand what drives their engagement with contract farming, with one Pune enterprise featuring his work on their website.

DR VAIBHAV GAIKWAD University of New South WalesDr Gaikwad’s research is focused on converting complex and difficult to recycle waste streams such as electronics and bio-waste into sustainable and high value products for energy storage, additive manufacturing, metal production and built-environment applications. He is publishing results in high-impact factor journals, delivering invited talks at international conferences and collaborating with industry and academic leaders in his field of research. Vaibhav’s engagement beyond academia constitutes the provision of engineering consultation to regional manufacturers in Australia for improving their production efficiency and sustainability, writing India-focused policy briefs to suggest mechanisms for improving waste management and enabling the transition of sustainable manufacturing technologies from lab to industry.


The Australia India Leadership Dialogue is the Aii’s annual flagship event and the pre-eminent forum for government and non-government exchanges between influencers and decision-makers in both nations. Launched in 2015, the Dialogue is held in each country in alternate years and covers a range of themes of fundamental importance to India and Australia. Topics canvassed include governance, geopolitics, water security, trade, economics and business, education and health.

In 2018, discussions centred on enhancing economic relations between Australia and India, with a particular emphasis on increasing engagement in the higher education and skill development sectors. With seven vice-chancellors from Australian and Indian universities and research institutions, the higher education industry was well represented in the room.

Five discussion papers were published in advance of the Dialogue, providing the contours of discussions over the two days. The Dialogue covered Knowledge, Health, Water Resources and Management, Building Security Architecture in the Region, as well as Opportunities and Challenges in bilateral relations.

Leading the official Australian delegation was Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources David Littleproud. Mr Littleproud opened the Dialogue with a keynote address that hailed the progress of two-way trade between Australia and India, which he noted had grown almost 800% since 2006. The minister also highlighted the potential of the economic relationship to “drive prosperity in both nations”.

India’s delegation was headed by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs. Mr Puri told delegates that the government’s urban development programs, including Swach Bharat and the smart city scheme, provided ample opportunity for Australian businesses and government to partner with their Indian counterparts.

AUSTRALIA INDIA LEADERSHIP DIALOGUE

From 21 to 23 January, cabinet ministers, senior bureaucrats, business leaders, distinguished academics and top media figures descended on New Delhi for the third annual Australia India Leadership Dialogue

The program also included a presentation by Peter Varghese AO, who outlined his India Economic Strategy, a report commissioned by the Australian government. Mr Varghese stressed the need for dynamism among Australian business leaders, while also emphasising the importance of distinguishing India’s rise from that of China.

The Dialogue welcomed the Secretary of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Frances Adamson, who discussed the need to work through regional institutions to develop the Indo-Pacific’s security and cooperation architecture.

The closing of the Dialogue was celebrated with a reception at the Australian High Commission in Delhi hosted generously by High Commissioner Harinder Sidhu. Guests included members of the Australia India Youth Dialogue that took place in parallel with the AILD in early 2018.

The Australia India Institute looks forward to the next Australia India Leadership Dialogue, which will be held in Melbourne in December 2019



VICTORIA INDIA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The Australia India Institute has delivered the Victoria India Internship Program on behalf of the Victorian Government since 2016. This innovative program offers internships to both domestic and international Victorian undergraduate and postgraduate students, and recent graduates, placing successful applicants with host organisations either in Victoria or India. Interns are placed in roles across a range of disciplines, including communications, project management, marketing, international business, international relations and information technology


MELBOURNE

Tech Mahindra Alekhya Mukhopadhyay

Tech Mahindra Vasu Arora

Tech Mahindra Bilal Ibrahim

Tech Mahindra Rohan Fernandes

DELHI

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry Kathryn Morrison

Office of Baijayant Panda MP Steven Connolly

Office of Baijayant Panda MP Sergio Orjuela-Ruiz

CHENNAI

Sundaram Business Services Prachi Tyagi

BANGALORE

Victoria Government Trade and Investment Vishwajit Patel

In 2018, the Institute placed nine students in internship positions across Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Melbourne.


STEVEN CONNOLLY Bachelor of Arts, University of Melbourne Interned at the Office of Baijayant Panda MP (New Delhi)

What surprised you about the internship?

I was surprised by the great diversity of different opportunities I was able to engage in throughout my relatively short internship.

Having barely been in India for a week, I was invited to spend an afternoon out of the office to meet Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews at the state government’s launch of Victoria’s India Strategy. This featured delightful presentations by Victoria’s South Asia Trade Commissioner, Michelle Wade, and Honorary Director of the Aii@Delhi, Professor Amitabh Mattoo.

Following that soon came an invitation to observe the annual Australia India Leadership Dialogue. These discussions covered issues of mutual importance to both countries, as well as suggestions from representatives as to how ties can be further strengthened.

Throughout the internship, I also had numerous opportunities through Jay Panda’s office to accompany him to conferences and presentations on digital rights, foreign policy and reform of the Indian justice system.

Then, as if I hadn’t spent enough time out of the office, I was given the all-clear (to my surprise, given recent political tensions in the region) to travel to Odisha in the final week of my internship. On most days I was able to take a helicopter ride out to different rural villages where we would meet village elders and local political leaders. This gave me a different perspective of how local politics works on the ground.

It would be difficult for an internship in Australia to come close to delivering such a wealth of various experiences and opportunities to develop my professional and academic skills.

INTERNSHIP REFLECTIONS


VISHWAJIT PATEL Master of International Business, University of Melbourne Interned at Victoria’s Trade and Investment Office (Bangalore and Mumbai)

What advice would you give future applicants?

One piece of advice that I would give to future interns is to not be afraid to ask for opportunities. The worst that will happen is you will hear a “no”. But the best that can happen is beyond imagination. I had never imagined that I would be a part of a team that would lead the market entry of reputed firms based in Victoria. But, after speaking to the Australia India Institute about my aspirations, I was presented with this opportunity. So, just take a deep breath, and apply for the internships that interest you.

ROHAN FERNANDES Master of Business Administration (International), Deakin University Interned at Tech Mahindra in Melbourne

What are some key lessons that you learnt? How could these assist other interns finding work in the same industry?

There are so many opportunities for internships and it’s important to look beyond the more obvious ones. I was lucky to come across the Australia India Institute’s post on Facebook and could have easily missed it. I would ask other students to broaden their scope and keep an eye out for opportunities with firms beyond the obvious ones, such as the Big 4. One way to do this would be to attend networking events such as the Drop in Chai at the Australia India Institute. You never know who you could run into! Even if it does not lead to an immediate opportunity, you always get to meet new and interesting people.

KATHRYN MORISSON Master of International Relations, University of Melbourne Interned at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (New Delhi)

What skills did you gain from the internship?

Working for FICCI gave me a great opportunity to hone my research skills. Navigating a different country’s government databases, industry records, and media reports was initially challenging, however, over the course of the internship I became very confident in synthesising and verifying information from a wide variety of sources. Research also had to be conducted quickly and efficiently to keep up with event and report deadlines, which proved to be a valuable learning curve.

I also gained experience writing talking points – a writing style I had not previously used. Condensing extensive and dense information into an engaging and concise speech took practice, but is now a valuable skill for future written communication tasks.

Regardless of what organisation you’re working with, interning overseas develops resilience, independence, and the ability to operate effectively in cross-cultural environments. I am confident these skills will be invaluable throughout my career, particularly given that I hope to work internationally in the future.


CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE VARGHESE INDIA ECONOMIC STRATEGYA number of senior Australia India Institute personnel were involved in submissions to the India Economic Strategy to 2035, which was commissioned from Peter Varghese AO by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Institute Director Craig Jeffrey sat on the Australian Reference Group, while Aii@Delhi Honorary Director represented the Institute on the Indian Reference Group. Key parts of the Strategy have subsequently been endorsed by the Australian government.

VERY SHORT POLICY BRIEFSThe Very Short Policy Brief series examines key questions facing contemporary India and the Australia-India relationship with in-depth analysis and clarity. The five policy briefs issued in 2018 make important policy recommendations.

Making ‘climate-smart’ Indian citiesCities are getting hotter, with severe implications for public health, comfort, energy demand, labour productivity and the economy. Dr Komali Yenneti examines how Indian cities can be built in a more sustainable manner.

Strategies to expand Hindi education in AustraliaDespite widespread recognition of the value of Hindi education in Australia, the number of mainstream schools and universities that teach Hindi remains extremely limited. Dr Trent Brown maps the existing landscape of Hindi teaching in Australia and provides policy-relevant suggestions on how this can be improved.

Promoting health food environments in rural IndiaDr Mark Vicol explores the impact of rapidly shifting food environments on health and nutrition outcomes in rural India. This policy brief contains four recommendations for policy-makers in India and four for policy-makers in Australia to improve understanding of changes in nutrition.

Promoting off-grid solar energy in IndiaFor hundreds of millions of Indians without reliable central grid electricity, off-grid solar products are an attractive option. Dr Jonathan Balls reviews India’s off-grid solar market and identifies key interventions that can promote its development.

POLICY & ADVOCACY

As a central voice for Australia’s approach to engaging with contemporary India, the Institute plays an active role in the development of national research policy and frameworks to help shape the direction of the Australia-India relationship.


Making digital rights count in IndiaDr Pawan Singh identifies key issues in data protection pertaining to digital identity systems in welfare, society and governance, and offers four recommendations to ensure the meaningful exercise of digital rights.

REPORTSThe transformation of recent Indian skilled migration to AustraliaRecent Indian migrants constitute an extraordinary talent reservoir for Australia, writes Professor Lesleyanne Hawthorne. They are characterised by high labour market participation, earnings and employment rates. They have the potential to offer a ‘productivity premium’ given their relative youth, level of English, tertiary training (with many qualified in Australia), and acculturation.

Leveraging Australia’s Indian diaspora for deeper bilateral trade and investment relationsIn this report, Dr Surjeet Dogra Dhanji and Associate Professor Haripriya Rangan explore how Australia’s Indian diaspora can be mobilised to build deeper trade relations. It also analyses the institutional frameworks and industry linkages that the Australian government could facilitate to deepen trade and investment engagement with India.

ROUNDTABLESSmarts Cities: Liveability, Rural and Urban Development and Water ManagementThis roundtable brought together three members of India’s Lok Sabha (lower house), officials from the Commonwealth and Victorian governments, as well as academics from Australian and Indian institutions, for a comparative discussion on liveability and urban development and opportunities for bilateral collaboration.

Government of Assam VisitThe Institute welcomed a delegation from India’s north-eastern state of Assam in November. Headed by Minister for Education Siddhartha Bhattacharya, the delegation met with University of Melbourne academics to exchange ideas on renewable infrastructure, smart cities, and education.

Our policy and advocacy agenda is intended to deliver critical reform across a broad range of issues from higher education to climate change.


INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ICT IN INDIA

In January, the Institute welcomed Sam Pitroda, a world-renowned telecommunications thinker, inventor and entrepreneur who has been credited with laying the foundation of India’s telecoms infrastructure in the 1980s. Mr Pitroda was joined by representatives from business, government and academia to discuss what lessons can be gleaned in Australia from India’s collaboration with the US information technology industry.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT

With a presence in Delhi, and a broad national reach from Melbourne to Perth, the Australia India Institute is uniquely positioned to catalyse bilateral business relationships and provide a forum for discussion on shared challenges.


SMART CONSTRUCTION IN INDIA’S MEGA CITIES

This roundtable discussion considered questions of sustainability, smartness and liveability in Indian cities. Attendees explored opportunities and steps for pursuing collaborative projects. Participants included visiting Indian academics; practicing architects and urban planners from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Delhi; Victorian government representatives including from Development Victoria and Liveability Victoria International, and academics from the University of Melbourne and Curtin University involved in Smart City research or projects in India.

PETER VARGHESE BOARDROOM BRIEFING ON THE INDIA ECONOMIC STRATEGY

Former DFAT Secretary and current University of Queensland Chancellor Peter Varghese AO visited the Institute in October to discuss his India Economic Strategy to 2035 submission to the Australian government. This boardroom briefing attracted business leaders, including senior representatives from Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys.

STATE OF THE NATION: INDIA

The Aii was delighted to again partner with Asialink to deliver two business lunches in Melbourne and Sydney in 2018. Expert speakers, including the CEO of the State Bank of India Pranay Kumar, the National Chair of the Australia India Business Council Jim Varghese and the CEO of MultiConnexions Sheba Nandkeolyar highlighted the opportunities India’s economy presents to Australian business.

The Aii provides a platform to examine the key questions facing Australia and India with in-depth analysis, clarity and industry relevance



PROJECT-BASED ENGAGEMENT WITH VICTORIA’S INDIA STRATEGYThe Aii organised and facilitated a number of roundtable discussions for the Victorian government in 2018. This included a Roundtable on Smart Cities, which featured discussions on sustainability and liveability in Indian cities and opportunities for collaboration with Victoria. The roundtable featured representatives from Liveability Victoria, academics from the University of Melbourne and a visiting Indian contingent of academics, practicing architects and urban planners.

Honorary Director of the Aii@Delhi Professor Amitabh Mattoo delivered a Masterclass to Victorian government departments in September. The Masterclass provided practical advice on government-to-government engagement with Indian federal and state governments, covering cultural courtesies and how to run effective meetings in India.

In November, the Institute organised an Indian Diaspora and School Partnerships Forum with the Victorian Department of Education and Training. The Forum attracted 43 participants from Victorian schools, state government and local councils. It featured presentations by school principals and Indian community leaders on the opportunities and challenges present in building relationships between schools and the Indian diaspora in Victoria.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAININGThe Institute delivered a number of research reports as part of its work with the Australian Department of Education and Training in 2018. Topics investigated by Aii researchers included opportunities for the Australian vocational education and training providers to engage more effectively with India’s aged care sector, a case study analysis of Australian and Indian online learning offerings and investigating barriers to higher education qualifications recognition in India.

The Institute also undertook fieldwork in India on ways to enhance the delivery of English-Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students to Indian students, which culminated in a report for the Department.

INDIAN ELECTION SERIESThe Australia India Institute again partnered with the Melbourne School of Government’s Election Watch project to deliver commentary and analysis of India’s 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Indian Election Series was launched in November with a panel discussion at Victoria’s State Library exploring the upcoming political cycle. A number of analytical pieces were also published exploring the mechanics of Indian democracy, the role of social media in elections and assessing the national implications of state elections held in late 2018.

PROJECTS IN 2018


VICTORIA INDIA DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPSThe Aii continues to manage and administer the Victoria India Doctoral Scholarship (VIDS) program for the Victorian Government. The program supports talented scholars from India to complete leading research at Victorian universities. To date, 29 scholarships have been awarded and administered by the Institute. The majority of scholars that have recently completed their studies now work at research institutions, universities and private firms both overseas – including in India – and in Australia. The Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, Charles Sturt University, and Colonial Farm are some of the institutions benefiting from the expertise of alumni from this program.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN PROJECTSAii’s researchers Dr Amanda Gilberton and Dr Amy Piedalue contributed to two projects funded by the Melbourne Research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children in 2018. This first involved studying reports from non-government organisations and scholarly literature in a bid to uncover why changing people’s gender norms – for example, through media campaigns and face-to-face gender workshops – has become the preferred approach to preventing violence against women. The second was a study of intersectionality in Australian and Indian newspaper reporting on violence against women. Researchers

investigated how newspapers’ representations of different communities shape public understandings of gendered violence – its causes, nature and appropriate societal responses.

EARLY CAREER RESEARCH CONFERENCEThe Institute co-organised the first annual Early Career Researcher Conference with the South Asian Studies Association of Australia in November. The Conference, entitled “South Asia as Practice”, was designed to support early career academics in their professional growth and to build communities of practice across the interdisciplinary space of Australian South Asian studies. Across two days, participants heard from non-academic experts on the role of policy-oriented research for government, non-government, industry, and other advisory contexts across South Asian countries. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Office of National Assessments, Oxfam, Ernst Young, Pollinate Energy and Infosys were among those represented at the Conference.


AUSTRALIA INDIA INSTITUTEThe Australia India Institute was established by a resolution of the University Council on 20 October 2008 and now operates under a Charter made under section 13(3) of Council Regulations.

The objectives of the Australia India Institute are to facilitate the coordination and development of studies in Australia of Indian culture and its social, scientific and economic dimensions, and to enhance understanding and cooperation between Australia and India.

The Board meets four times a year and is made up of representatives from the university, government, business and key stakeholders. Board members are nominated by the Vice-Chancellor for terms of 3 years.

An Advisory Panel meets twice yearly to provide strategic advice to the Director of the Australia India Institute. Panel members are appointed from across Australia and represent a wide range of professional backgrounds.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSMr Robert Johanson Chair, Australia India Institute

Mr Ross Fitzgerald Visy Industries representative

Professor Rachel Huxley La Trobe University representative

Professor Craig Jeffrey Director and CEO, Australia India Institute

Professor Adrian Little University of Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor’s representative

Professor Amitabh Mattoo Aii@Delhi representative

Mr Laurie Pearcey University of New South Wales representative

Mr Travis Power Commonwealth Government of Australia representative

PATRONSHer Excellency the Honourable Linda Dessau AM Governor of Victoria

Anthony Pratt Executive Chairman of Visy Industries

OUR PEOPLE


ADVISORY PANELDr Amanda Day Education Counsellor, Australian High Commission, New Delhi

Brian Hayes QC Honorary Life Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia and Adjunct Professor, The University of South Australia

Ross Fitzgerald Director of Visy Industries, and Founding CEO, Spectrum Venture Management

Professor Craig Jeffrey Director and CEO, Australia India Institute

Professor Robin Jeffrey Professor Emeritus at the Australian National University, and Chairman, Advisory Panel

Maxine McKew Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, The University of Melbourne

Neville Roach AO Chairman Emeritus of the Australia India Business Council, and member of the New South Wales Government’s Asia Business Advisory Council

Harish Rao Sundaram Business Services Limited

Dipen Rughani Founder, Newland Global Group, and Immediate Past National Chairman of the Australia India Business Council

Greg Sheridan AO Foreign Editor, The Australian

Gabrielle (Briger) Thompson Co-founder and CEO, the Australian World Orchestra

Peter N. Varghese AO Chancellor, the University of Queensland

DISTINGUISHED FELLOWSDr David Brewster Senior Research Fellow with the National Security College, Australian National University

Deirdre Coleman Robert Wallace Chair of English and Deputy Dean, Faculty of Arts, the University of Melbourne

Dr Suranjan Das Vice-Chancellor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Professor Susan Elliot Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Education), Monash University

Gareth Evans AC QC Chancellor, the Australian National University

Brian Hayes QC Honorary Life Fellow, the Planning Institute of Australia and Adjunct Professor, the University of South Australia

Robin Jeffrey Professor Emeritus, the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, the Australian National University

Sunjoy Joshi Chairman, Observer Research Foundation

Maxine McKew former Vice Chancellor’s Fellow, The University of Melbourne

Rob Moodie Professor of Public Health, The University of Melbourne

Ashis Nandy Distinguished Fellow, Institute of Postcolonial Studies

Andrew Robb AO Former Member of Parliament for the federal seat of Goldstein

Professor Brian Stoddart Professor Emeritus, La Trobe University

Pera Wells Former career diplomat, Vice-President of the Australian Council for Human Rights Education, Fellow of the Ormond College, and member of the Committee for Australians for War powers and the Australian Institute for International Affairs

ACADEMIC FELLOWSDr Michael Adams Human geographer and researcher

Associate Professor Farrah Ahmed Associate Professor, Melbourne Law School

Professor James Arvanitakis Dean, Graduate Research School, Western Sydney University

Purushottma Bilimoria Visiting professor-cum-lecturer, University of California, Berkeley

Dr Priya Chacko Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Adelaide

Dr Mridula Nath Chakraborty Deputy Director, Monash Asia Institute

Professor Sambit Datta Professor of Architecture, School of Built Environment, Curtin University.

Assa Doron Professor, Anthropology & South Asia, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University

Professor Anthony D'Costa Eminent Scholar in Global Studies and Professor of Economics College of Business, University of Alabama, Huntsville


Dr Jane Dyson Lecturer in the School of Geography, University of Melbourne

Dr Bina Fernandez Senior Lecturer, the Faculty of Arts, the University of Melbourne

Dr Devleena Ghosh Researcher, the School of Communication, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UTS

Dr Meg Gurry Academic Researcher, La Trobe University

Dr Ian Hall Professor of International Relations, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University

Dr Ramaswami Harindranath Professor of Media, the University of New South Wales

Dr Elizabeth Hill Associate Professor Political Economy and Chair of the Office for Global Engagement’s India Advisory Group, The University of Sydney

Dr Tanya Jakimow Senior Lecturer of Development Studies, the University of New South Wales

Dr Dolly Kikon Senior Lecturer at the School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne

Dr Christopher Kremmer Senior Lecturer in Literary & Narrative Journalism Practice, The University of New South Wales, Australia

Dr Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt Senior Fellow (Associate Professor) at the Resource, Environment, and Development Group in the Crawford School of Public Policy, the Australian National University

Professor David Lowe Alfred Deakin Professor and Chair in Contemporary History, Deakin University

Professor Kama Maclean Associate Professor, South Asian and World History, University of New South Wales

Professor Pushkar Maitra Professor of Economics, Monash University

Professor Hector Malano former Head of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Utah University

Professor Duncan McDuie-Ra Professor of Development Studies, University of New South Wales

Michael Moignard former Senior Trade Commissioner for South Asia, the Australian High Commission, New Delhi

Professor Michael Pearson Professor Emeritus, School of Humanities and Languages, University of New South Wales

Professor Deo Prasad AO Distinguished Professor, University of New South Wales

Professor Fazal Rizvi Professor Global Studies in Education, University of Melbourne

Dr Dipa Sarkar Applied Econometrician and Senior Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology

Professor Tim Scrase Adjunct Professor in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT

Dr Pradeep Taneja Lecturer in Chinese Politics, Political Economy, and International Relations, University of Melbourne

Dr Ian Woolford Lecturer and Coordinator of the Hindi language program, La Trobe University



STAFFProfessor Craig Jeffrey Director and CEO

ACADEMIC STAFFDr Haripriya Rangan Director of Research and Academic Programmes

Dr Trent Brown Research Assistant

Dr Surjeet Dogra Dhanji Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Dr Amanda Gilbertson Lecturer in Youth and Contemporary India

Ms Brigid Freeman Research Associate

Dr Ian Teo Research Assistant, ELICOS

Dr Oeendrilla Lahiri Research Assistant, ELICOS

NEW GENERATION NETWORK SCHOLARSDr Jonathan Balls University of Melbourne

Dr Subrato Banerjee Queensland University of Technology

Dr Alex Davis La Trobe University

Dr Vaibkhav Gaikwad University of New South Wales

Dr Amy Piedalue University of Melbourne

Dr Jeff Redding University of Melbourne

Dr Geoff Schoenberg Deakin University

Dr Pawan Singh Deakin University

Dr Komali Yenneti University of New South Wales

Dr Mark Vicol The University of Sydney

PROFESSIONAL STAFFDr Karen Barker Executive Manager and Senior Adviser Engagement

Angus Blackman Media and Communications Adviser

Cassandra (Cassie) Gardiner Events and ProgramsAdviser

Tess Gross Executive Assistant to the Director

Shibu Kitroo Finance and Operations Officer

Deepu Narayan Budget and Financial Adviser

Simon Papagiorcopulo Media and Communications Adviser

Kog Ravindran Media and Communications Adviser

Marianna Sarris Projects and Operations Adviser

Simone Traglia Events and Programs Adviser

ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEEThe Engagement Committee provides advice to the Director of the Australia India Institute on the implementation and coordination of the Institute’s strategy for engaging with government, business and the community. It draws together the various programs and activities of the Institute including those of Aii@Delhi to ensure overall coherence and alignment with strategy and to increase the profile of the Institute as a global centre of excellence for research and analysis on contemporary India.

Dr Karen Barker Executive Manager and Senior Adviser Engagement (Chair)

Cassie Gardiner Events and Programs Adviser

Craig Jeffrey Director and CEO

Vinod Mirchandani Deputy Director, Aii@Delhi

Simon Papagiorcopulo Media and Communications Adviser

Haripriya Rangan Director Research and Academic Programs

Harish Rao Business Development Consultant

Marianna Sarris Projects and Partnerships Adviser

Rishi Suri Communications Consultant, Aii@Delhi

Carlene Wilson Director Policy & Government Relations, Chancellery



ADVISORY PANELSwapan Dasgupta Presidential Nominee to the Rajya Sabha, Senior Journalist and Political Commentator

Dr Amanda Day Counsellor (Education), Australian High Commission, Delhi

Nayanjot Lahiri Professor of History, Ashoka University

Jay Panda Member of Parliament of India

Gopalaswami Parthasarathy Senior Diplomat and Author

Dr Indu Shahani President and Chair, Indian School of Design and Innovation

Meenakshi Gopinath Founder and Director WISCOMP (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace)

Professor Yogesh Tyagi Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi

Ameeta Mulla Wattal Principal Springdales School

FELLOWSRavi Dutt Bajpai Doctoral Candidate, Deakin University

Bianca Brijnath Associate Fellow Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences

Swapan Dasgupta Presidential Nominee to the Rajya Sabha, Senior Journalist and Political Commentator

Dr Amanda Day Counsellor (Education), Australian High Commission, Delhi

Meenakshi Gopinath Founder and Director WISCOMP (Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace)

WHO WE ARE Aii@DELHI

BOARD OF DIRECTORSProfessor Karen Day Dean of Science, University of Melbourne

Professor Craig Jeffrey Director and CEO, Australia India Institute Melbourne

Mr Robert Johanson Chair, Aii@Delhi, University of Melbourne

Professor Amitabh Mattoo Honorary Director, Aii@Delhi

Mr Allan Stewart Tait Vice-President (Administration and Finance) and Chief Operating Officer, University of Melbourne

Dr Malka Halgamuge Researcher, Department Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Melbourne

Professor Linda Hancock Alfred Deakin Institute for Globalisation and Citizenship

Happymon Jacob Associate Professor of Diplomacy and Disarmament Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University

Nayanjot Lahiri Professor of History, Ashoka University

Professor Parikshat Singh Manhas Director, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Jammu

Dr Yamini Narayanan Australian Research Council Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University

Gopalaswami Parthasarathy Senior Diplomat and Author

Associate Professor Christopher Roberts University of New South Wales

Dr Nik Senapati Honourary Adviser to FICCI in Australia

Dr Indu Shahani President and Chair, Indian School of Design and Innovation

Jay Panda Member of Parliament of India

Dr Jency Thomas Early Career Researcher, Metabolic Diseases and Mental Health

Professor Yogesh Tyagi Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi

Ameeta Mulla Wattal Principal Springdales School

John Zubrzycki Author, Journalist and Researcher

STAFFProfessor Amitabh Mattoo Honorary Director, Australia India Institute Delhi

Vinod Mirchandani Deputy Director, Australia India Institute, and Country Manager (India), University of Melbourne

Muskan Jain Research and Project Officer

Kunal Kapoor Manager, Accounts and Finance

Parul Nadar Research and Project Officer

Rishi Suri Communications Consultant

Aman Tyagi Program Officer

Prasenjit Giri Office Assistant



FUNDING PARTNERS

UNIVERSITY PARTNERS

NEW GENERATION NETWORK PARTNERS


CORPORATE PARTNERS

VICTORIA INDIA INTERNSHIP PARTNERS


RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

Australia India Institute Vol.8, June 2018

Promoting healthy food environments in rural India

Dr Mark Vicol

Australia India Institute

Vol.7, June 2018

Prioritising Indian Languages: Strategies to Expand Hindi Education in Australia

Trent Brown and Richard Barz

Australia India Institute Vol.6, February 2018

Making 'Climate-Smart' Indian cities

Dr Komali Yenneti

BOOKSBrown, Trent. 2018. Farmers, Subalterns, and Activists: Social Politics of Sustainable Agriculture in India. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Gilbertson, Amanda. 2018. Within the Limits: Moral Boundaries of Class and Gender in Urban India. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Davis, Alexander E. 2018. India and the Anglosphere: Race, Identity and Hierarchy in International Relations, London: Routledge.

BOOK CHAPTERSRedding, Jeffrey A. (2018). ‘The Rule of Disgust? Contemporary Transgender Rights Discourse in India’. In Hasan, Zoya et al. eds, The Empire of Disgust: Prejudice, Stigma and Discrimination in India and the U.S., pp 195-220, Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Redding, Jeffrey A. (2018) Transgender Rights in Pakistan?: Global, Colonial, and Islamic Perspectives, in Michal Rozbicki ed. Human Rights in Translation: Intercultural Pathways. Lanham: Lexington Books.

Singh, Pawan. (2018). ‘The TV9 Sting Operation on PlanetRomeo: Absent Subjects, Digital Privacy and LGBTQ Activism.” In Rohit K. Dasgupta and Debanuj Dasgupta eds. Queering Digital India: Activisms, Intimacies, Subjectivities. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.


JOURNAL ARTICLESDavis, Alexander E. (2018) ‘Solidarity or hierarchy?: India’s identification with Africa and the postcolonial politics of race’. India Review, 17, 2: 242-262.

Yenneti, K. and Kasamsetty, S. (2018) Building Integrated Solar Technologies for a City’s Best, Energy Manager, 10 (4): 6-12.

Vicol, M. (2018). Potatoes, Petty Commodity Producers and Livelihoods: Contract farming and agrarian change in Maharashtra, India. Journal of Agrarian Change. DOI: 10.1111/joac.12273

Vicol, M., Neilson, J., Hartatri, D. F. S., & Cooper, P. (2018). Upgrading for whom? Relationship coffee, value chain interventions and rural development in Indonesia. World Development. 110: 26-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.05.020.

Pritchard, B., Vicol, M., & Htay, Y. (2018). Studying home gardens as if people mattered: Why don't food-insecure households in rural Myanmar cultivate home gardens? The Journal of Peasant Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2018.1431623.

WORKING PAPERSHawthorne, L (2018) The transformation of recent Indian skilled migration to Australia.

POLICY RESEARCHDhanji, S., and Rangan, H (2018) Leveraging Australia’s Indian diaspora for deeper bilateral trade and investment relations with India. January. Melbourne: Australia India Institute

Rangan, H and Dhanji SD (2018). Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) engagement in India’s emerging aged care sector. December. Melbourne: Australia India Institute.

Teo, I. (2018) Enhancing opportunities for the delivery of Australian English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) to Indian students. December. Melbourne: Australia India Institute.

Lahiri, O. and Freeman, B. (2018). Case Studies of Australian and Indian Quality Assured Online Learning. December. Melbourne: Australia India Institute.

RESEARCH GRANTS‘The Diverse Implications of India and China’s competitive state making in the Himalaya’, China Studies Research Centre, La Trobe University, 2,100 dollars. (with Dr Ruth Gamble), ‘The Diverse Implications of India and China’s competitive state making in the Himalaya’, ECR Seed Funding, 9,000 dollars.

Knowledge Exchange on ‘Smart Energy Management’ for Sustainable Cities, UNSW-India Research Fund-Seed Grant, AU$10,000 Knowledge Exchange on ‘Climate-Smart Cities’, UNSW BE Early Career Researcher Grant, AU$13,000 Knowledge Exchange on ‘Data augmented design’ for Sustainable Cities, UNSW-Tsinghua University Collaborative Research Fund-Seed Grant, AU$15,000

Fairness is flexible, Neeti Aayog (approx. AUD 16,000)

Australia India Institute Vol.10, October 2018

Making Digital Rights Count in India

Pawan Singh

25954_240x200_Short Policy Brief VOL 10_FA_VR2.indd 1

8/10/18 4:26 pm

Australia India Institute Vol.9, August 2018

Promoting Off-Grid Solar Energy in India

Dr Jonathan Balls

24922_240x200_Short Policy Brief VOL 9_FA.indd 1

13/8/18 12:29 pm


MEDIA COMMENTARY AND ENGAGEMENT

Mark Vicol, ‘Kerala faces long and challenging recovery after flood crisis’, 21 August 2018 https://www.aii.unimelb.edu.au/blog/kerala-faces-long-and-challenging-recovery-after-flood-crisis/

Alexander E. Davis, ‘Australia and India: different worlds’, 17 July 2018 https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-and-india-different-worlds

Stuti Bhatnagar and Alexander E. Davis, 'Can Imran Khan thaw hostile Pakistan-India relations?', 17 August 2018 https://electionwatch.unimelb.edu.au/articles/can-imran-khan-thaw-hostile-pakistan-india-relations

Amanda Gilbertson, ‘Why restricting social media is not a solution to dangerous behaviours in India’ 26 July 2018 https://theconversation.com/why-restricting-social-media-is-not-a-solution-to-dangerous-behaviours-in-india-99858

Geoff Schoenberg, Interview, Ex-athletes, not politicians, should govern Indian sports, 21 January 2018 https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/sportzwiki+english-epaper-sptwiken/ex+athletes+not+politicians+should+govern+indian+sports-newsid-80290303

Craig Jeffrey, Government report provides important opportunity to rethink Australia’s relationship with India, 21 July 2018 https://theconversation.com/government-report-provides-important-opportunity-to-rethink-australias-relationship-with-india-100319

Craig Jeffrey, Interview, Recruitment mindset won’t work in India, says Melbourne expert, 5 August 2018 https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/recruitment-mindset-wont-work-india-says-melbourne-expert

Souresh Roy, India’s ruling BJP has major setback in state elections, 17 December 2018 https://www.aii.unimelb.edu.au/blog/indian-election-series/indias-ruling-bjp-has-major-setback-in-state-elections/


VERY SHORT POLICY BRIEFS

Yenneti, K (2018) Making ‘Climate-Smart’ Indian Cities, A Very Short Policy Brief 6

Brown, T (2018) Strategies to Expand Hindi Education in Australia, A Very Short Policy Brief 7

Vicol, M (2018) Promoting Health Food Environments in Rural India, A Very Short Policy Brief 8

Balls, J (2018) Promoting Off-Grid Solar Energy in India, A Very Short Policy Brief 9

Singh, P (2018) Making Digital Rights Count in India, A Very Short Policy Brief 10

PODCASTS

The Afternoon Adda – What is the future of gender justice? Dr Dolly Kikon and Dr Amy Piedalue, 23 March 2018

The Afternoon Adda – New feminisms and India’s experience with #MeToo, Professor Srila Roy, Dr Amanda Gilbertson and Dr Amy Piedalue, 16 October 2018

India Rising – A post-colonial hangover, Professor Robin Jeffrey and Matthew Smith, 29 October 2018

India Rising – Voting in the world’s largest democracy, Professor Robin Jeffrey and Matthew Smith, 5 November 2018

India Rising – Dynastic leadership, Professor Robin Jeffrey and Matthew Smith, 13 November 2018

India Rising – Waste of a nation, Professor Assa Doron, Professor Robin Jeffrey and Matthew Smith, 23 November 2018

India Rising – Religion and caste, Professor Robin Jeffrey and Matthew Smith, 27 November 2018


FINANCIAL INFORMATION

AUSTRALIA INDIA INSTITUTEFINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2018

1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018

1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017

INCOME $ $

Commonwealth Funding 5,581,247 6,623,431

Victoria State Government Grants 631,444 857,061

University of Melbourne Funding 1,947,412 1,755,735

Other Grants - VIDS, AIEC, PCS, Pratt Foundation 898,175 913,675

Other income - includes consulting, sponsorships and interest income

124,434 45,610

Total Income* 9,182,712 10,195,512

EXPENDITURE

Expert Services 1,429,133 1,391,485

Travel, Accommodation 273,704 488,809

Administrative and Operational Expenses 120,852 170,760

Student Support / Grant Expense 35,167 113,194

Academic Salaries 1,289,089 1,088,680

Professional Salaries 736,309 757,335

Total Expenditure 3,884,254 4,010,263

Operating Surplus/(Deficit) 5,298,458 6,185,249

* Total income from government and external funding bodies for the year includes closing balance of surplus carried forward from the previous year


FINANCIALSThe Australia India Institute’s financial records are managed and administered using the accounting and financial systems of the University of Melbourne.

All financial statements are reconciled to the University of Melbourne’s integrated financial system and reviewed by internal auditors to ensure fair presentation and compliance with relevant policy.

INSTITUTE INCOME

Commonwealth Funding

University of Melbourne Funding

Other Grants - VIDS, AIEC, PCS, Pratt Foundation

Other income, including sponsorships and interest

Victoria State Government Funding

The Institute derived a net operating surplus of $5,298,458 for the reporting period

INSTITUTE EXPENDITURE

$1,429,133

$273,704

$1,289,089

$120,852$35,167

$736,309

$5,581,247

$631,444

$1,947,412

$898,175

$124,434

Expert Services

Administrative and Operational Expense

Student Support / Grant Expense

Academic Salaries

Travel and Accommodation

Professional Salaries

University of Melbourne147—149 Barry Street Carlton, Victoria 3053

[email protected]

annual report 2018 - australia india institute · 2019-06-11 · aii director’s report 4...

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