Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, visited Melbourne to hold high-level bilateral discussions with Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism, Senator the Hon. Don Farrell, and Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles. The meeting centred on accelerating the India–Australia economic partnership, with a strong focus on advancing an ambitious and balanced Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
The ministers reviewed progress made in the ongoing CECA negotiations and explored avenues to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment cooperation. Discussions spanned key sectors including goods, services, investment, and emerging areas of mutual interest.
Bilateral merchandise trade between the two nations reached USD 24.1 billion in FY 2024–25, supported by India’s sustained export growth of 14% in 2023–24 and an additional 8% in 2024–25.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to the early conclusion of CECA, building upon the India–Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), which came into force in December 2022. The leaders emphasised the agreement’s role in unlocking new opportunities across strategic and economic domains.
During the visit, Shri Goyal also interacted with key business representatives from the Indian diaspora, alongside Minister Farrell and Minister Giles. The engagement highlighted opportunities for deeper commercial collaboration and underscored the diaspora’s growing role in strengthening India–Australia economic ties.
