Published in 2018, An India Economic Strategy to 2035: Navigating Potential to Delivery, created a blueprint for the future of Australia’s economic engagement with India and remains a key framework for driving the Australia-India relationship forward. This month, the India Economic Strategy Update was published and launched by Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Dan Tehan in Melbourne.Join Ambassador Anil Wadhwa and Australia India Institute CEO Lisa Singh in this Chats over Chai podcast as they unpack what the IES Update means for the future of economic engagement between Australia and India. This episode will examine which sectors are identified as a priority in the IES Update; will India respond with its own Economic Update; and, as Ambassador Wadhwa points out, will the Update drive economic investment in critical minerals between Australia and India.

Frank Wesley was a prolific and influential artist from Azamgarh who later worked in Mussoorie, India. He became known for pushing boundaries in religious art forms and he won various accolades. His artwork had broad appeal, with his work featuring in a Vatican display, on the first UNICEF Christmas card and, perhaps most notably, on the urn for the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation. In this podcast Professor Nathan Grills from the Aii, who has a personal connection to Frank’s artwork through his work and research in Mussoorie, speaks to Frank’s son Michael Wesley, Deputy Vice Chancellor International at the University of Melbourne, as they explore Frank’s journey as part of the Indian diaspora in Australia. 50 years later, as part of University of Melbourne delegation to India, Michael and Nathan will visit Mussoorie in April to further develop research and educational linkages.

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Going beyond the contested regions in the East, the Russian troops marched on other Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, and Putin announced that his nuclear forces were on high alert. This war has had a significant humanitarian, economic, and geopolitical fallout. Meanwhile the UN General Assembly has voted to adopt a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with some 141 countries demanding that Moscow immediately withdraw its forces from the soil of its sovereign neighbour. While 5 voted against the resolution, some 35 countries abstained from voting, including India. For India, a nation one may say is isolated in an increasingly hostile region, its challenge is to continue to engage with the West while trying not to abandon ties with an old ally, Russia. This podcast decodes India’s stance on the Ukraine crisis with Professor Ian Hall, from Griffith University, Dr Daniel Markey from United States Institute of Peace and the Australia India Institute's CEO Lisa Singh.

2021 witnessed the historic elevation of the QUAD when the leaders of the four nations met in the US and discussed the future of the QUAD and the Indo-Pacific. The members also agreed to work together on multiple issues of significance, and through their QUAD vaccine diplomacy played a crucial role in helping the region deal with the pandemic. QUAD nations have time and again expressed concerns over the ever-changing geopolitical environment in the Indo-Pacific. So will 2022 see an increase in efforts to collectively tackle common security issues among QUAD members? What role will the QUAD play in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific? Concerns over global supply chains have also been imperative to the QUAD’s agenda, so will the QUAD consider broadening its agenda to include economic and trade aspects?This podcast features an interview with Dr. Rajesh Rajagopalan, a Professor of International Politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Australia India Institute's CEO Hon Lisa Singh.