Outcomes of 3rd India-Australia Annual Summit

Why in News?

The third India-Australia Annual Summit took place in Melbourne on July 9, 2026, hosted by Australia to review bilateral ties and chart the next phase of cooperation.

Key Outcomes

• Technology – Signed the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies, and Supply Chains (PACTS) agreement to strengthen partnership in cybersecurity, critical technologies, supply chains, digital resilience, and defence research collaboration.
• Signed the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership MoU.
• Space – Strengthened ties between ISRO and the Australian Space Agency.
• Australia reiterated its support for India’s Gaganyaan Human Space Flight Mission through the commissioning of a temporary space tracking facility on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
• Energy – Signed the Administrative Arrangement under the Australia-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, 2015 for long-term Australian uranium exports to India for exclusively peaceful purposes, which will remain subject to IAEA safeguards.
• Australia reiterated its support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group.
• Acknowledged progress under the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership, including Rooftop Solar Academy.
• Supply Chain Resilience – Focused on semiconductor supply chains and critical minerals through coordinated investment and regulatory alignment.
• Defence – Announced a Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation to deepen their bilateral defence partnership.
• Agreed to establish an Annual Defence Ministers' Dialogue, expand defence exercises and strengthen interoperability under the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement.
• Adopted the India-Australia Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap & an MoU signed between Australia's Maritime Border Command  & Indian Coast Guard to support maritime security.
• Economic Front – Growth under India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) and reaffirmed their commitment to Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) & alignment of India’s Make in India with Australia’s Future Made in Australia.
• Education & people-to-people ties – Expansion of Australian Universities in India, recognition of Indian Diaspora’s contributions (now Australia’s largest overseas-born community).
• Australia announced AUD 10 million for the Centre for Australia-India Relations’ Maitri grants.
• National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Mining in Odisha.
• Sports – India-Australia Sports Collaboration Roadmap to strengthen cooperation ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.

References

1. Times of India | Australia–Canada–India Partnership
2. The Print | India & Australia announce PACTS