Highlights
- Former senator Lisa Singh becomes first woman director of Australia India Institute
- ‘I want to play a role in facilitating international students return plan’: Ms Singh
- Ms Singh stresses engaging with key ministers in the Australian government
Ms Singh, who will start her new role from 8 September, said she aims at engaging the Indian community for deepening understanding of India within Australia.
The Australia India Institut (AII) is a policy think tank that works on building Australia-India relations and is funded by the federal government and the University of Melbourne.
Concerned about Australia losing its sheen as an education destination for international students, especially from India, Ms Singh wants to work with the university sector and the state and federal governments to find a suitable solution to bring them back.
Indian students are integral to our higher education system and economy. We can not let their numbers decline when options of vaccination and quarantine exist
“COVID-19 restrictions have stymied the education sector. The sooner Indian students can return to Australia to complete their qualifications, the better. I hope to play a role to help facilitate a pathway for that to happen,” Ms Singh added.
She told SBS Hindi that AII’s public policy work must harness the leadership of the diaspora, alumni groups and expats to build on soft diplomacy.
Lisa Singh has been a long-term advocate of a deeper Australia-India relationship. Source: Supplied by Lisa Singh
It is important we engage influential Indian audiences into our shared priorities
“The only way to do that is with the Indian diaspora leadership playing a functioning role at the most influential levels," Ms Singh said.
“I want to ensure Australia’s burgeoning India diaspora leaders are part of the Australia-India conversation.
“The Australia-India bilateral relationship is going through a transformative period right now and a part of that transformation must include a recognition of Australia’s growing Indian diaspora as an untapped resource,” Ms Singh elaborated.
Ms Singh has been a long-term advocate of a deeper Australia-India relationship.
In 2014, for building friendly Australia-India relations, she was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest civilian honour for a person of Indian origin conferred by the president of India.
“It’s important we nurture the academic and research capabilities in the relationship. But it needs to be done by focusing on shared priorities. That way, partnerships for both nations will be enduring and mutually beneficial,” Ms Singh said.
She stresses engaging with key ministers in the Australian government and building connections with the Indian government on how the AII can help facilitate and support their common objectives on trade liberalisation.
“India is one of the fastest-growing economies of the world and that brings huge opportunities for Australia. Diversifying our markets with India beyond the primary commodity exports into value-adding, I think is key to our economic relationship going forward,” she said.
We need clear signalling that Australia places India on high priority in its economic and foreign policy agenda. A trade agreement is definitely one part of that
Ms Singh is also the deputy chair of the Australia India Council. She sits on the advisory committees of the University of Melbourne’s Asialink and the University of New South Wales’ Australian Human Rights Institute.
