Australia keen on tie-ups with India

KOCHI: Australia looks at South India as a strategic business partner, said David Holly, the Australian Consul General to India.Leading a team of delegates that visited the under-construction LNG terminal in Kochi, for which Australia is providing a major chunk of the resources, Holly said that Australia views education is the prime area of focus in India, especially the higher education sector. “We are aiming at forging partnerships in capacity-building, teacher-training, course-certification, student-exchange and in research,” he said. According to him, a lot of this progress, especially in the area of vocational education, depends upon the passage of the Foreign Educational Institutions bill.“The Indian government needs to provide education and opportunities for skill-development to 100 million people and we hope to be a part of this exercise,” the Consul General said. “The professionalism that is found here is commendable. We hope to make use of it in our businesses,” said Grant Woodhams, Speaker, Western Australian Legislative Assembly, who was part of the delegation.Speaking about the racial attacks on Indian students in Australia, he said the Australian government has adopted stringent measures to ensure their safety. “A lot of work has been done, safety measures are in place, students are briefed before they go to Australia. I cannot say that there will never be another incident. But the situation is better now. Several persons, including ministers S M Krishna and Kapil Sibal have testified to this,” he said. Apart from education, IT, agri-business, infrastructure development and mining were some of the areas where the Australian government is looking to collaborate with India. “Australia is rich in various resources, including iron ore, gold, diamonds and minerals. Indian companies have a huge presence in the mining industry in Australia. Nearly 30 per cent of gold imports to India come from Australia. These apart, there are several projects, like the LNG, where Australia plays a key role,” said the Consul General.