‘Adani Project Brings Jobs To Australia’
In AN exclusive interview with Taniya Tikoo, Australian High Commissioner to India, Harinder Sindhu, discusses burning issues between the two countries, right from the Adani Power Project to the outcome of Australia – India Business Week (AIBW). Edited excerpts:
What do you think is the outcome of the second AIBW?
I think, this was really an important event. This year we brought a really targeted delegation. For us, holding an Australia-India Business week is a mark of the deep commitment that we have for our long-term economic relationship with India. For this reason, we brought Steven Ciobo, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, three other federal ministers, two state ministers and a business delegation of 176 people, including a large number of CEOs to engage in a series of events in five sector streams: agri-business, digital innovation, mining, engineering, higher education and urban and smart infrastructure. There have been deals signed in a lot of sectors. The minister also signed three MoUs with the National Thermal Power Corporation to develop clean coal and high efficiency technologies.
When are we going to have the next round of talks for a probable FTA between India and Australia? How does Australia view this?
Well, there may be many rounds of talks on this. A FTA has many dimensions and we are very keen on a FTA. We have a long track record of very successful FTAs with many countries. We are currently in negotiations with 5-6 FTAs, for some of which, we are hopeful, and will conclude towards the end of the year. We know that any old document won’t do, if you really want to make a difference to the relationship, it has to be a high quality outcome. I won’t advocate for rushing things, I genuinely hope that we come to a conclusion that is fruitful for both the countries.
Do you think that you are ignoring the environmental concerns that come with the Adani Project, since the benefits are so high?
There doesn’t have to be a conflict between doing business and environmental safety. The Adani project has been subject to fairly stringent environmental regulations. We have welcomed the investment, because it is an investment that promises to produce many jobs for Australians and that is always a welcome. At the same time, we have dealt with the Adani Company at arm’s length. Like any other company, it has had to meet quiet stringent environmental regulations, and it has received approvals after clearing those environmental regulation stages. So, from our perspective if it meets all the environmental concerns, then it is infact a very welcoming project in the Australian mining sector.
How important is Australian Index as a naval drill? Can we look forward towards a potential defense partnership from it?
We have a significant and growing defence partnership with India. And it is one that is actually growing. It has been in a sense, surprising all of us, that two countries, that face the Indian Ocean, don’t have stronger defense relationship. But we are kind of making up for it now. So, we have just had the ‘Aussie Index’ naval exercise and it was quiet a step forward for us to have a bilateral naval exercise. This actually builds deeper understanding between both our navies so that they can work together. This, in its own way does two things. It deepens the Indo-Australian naval relationship and it builds the kind of confidence we need between two big Indian Ocean powers to ensure stability. Probably, the next step will be to deepen that cooperation through something like a logistic support so that we can do more to smoothly work together. And over the time, this will actually mean that we have a very trusting defense relationship between the two countries.
taniya.tikoo@businessworld.in;
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