ABOUT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single

structure made by living organisms.

TEXTILES

Australia also just signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) on textiles – Australia is a big producer of wool, and India

is a big producer of textiles.

Australia is a leading producer of wool

TOURISM

Indian visitors are expected to contribute 1.9 billion dollars to the

Australian economy by 2020, Australia's Trade Minister said, describing

India as an important trade and investment partner.

• For the year-ending March 2017, Australia welcomed 274,500

visitors from India, 15.3 per cent more than the previous year

•

Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)

(proposed bilateral Free Trade Agreement)

• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a

proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member

states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

(Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six states with

which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements (Australia,

China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand)

A few weeks ago, Australia sent a large trade delegation for Australia

Business Week, headed by its Trade Minister, and accompanied by three

federal ministers, two state-level ministers, and 176 businesspeople from

sectors like urban infrastructure, digital health, innovation, and higher

education

WHAT DOES INDIA STAND TO GAIN?

Mining and agriculture are Australia’s strengths, with services and education close

behind.

But India has plenty of iron ore, and agriculture makes up a big part of the Indian

economy, so what can Australia offer? “Know-how,” Australians are good at systems of

operation – finding ways to do things efficiently and quickly – something that India

could definitely benefit from.

Wheat being a water-intensive crop

Given India's increasing water disputes – internally and with neighbours – and a heating

planet, this know-how could prove invaluable. Australia

INDIA – AUSTRALIA URANIUM DEAL

The country holds 29 percent of the world’s known recoverable uranium resources.

The supply deal with India, signed in 2014, is the first of its kind Australia has made

with a country not party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The first shipment was sent to India in 2017

In 2009, the two signed a Strategic Partnership agreement, and in 2014,

Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM to visit

Australia in 26 years.

OTHER ASPECTS

Australia supports India’s bid as a permanent member of

the security council

AUSINDEX

Australia wants to be a part of the Malabar naval exercise

Asked if China's growing influence in the

region will affect Indo-Australian ties, she

said, "China has grown tremendously

economically and in the process has lifted

people out of poverty in the country. That

we must not lose sight of".

"And, a country with a growing economic

weight tends to assert its strategic weight

too. But having said that, the actions (by

the country) have to be responsible and in

line with international norms," Sidhu said.