MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA / RankWire.AI / – India and Australia expanded ties on July 9, 2026, with agreements covering defence, energy, technology and education. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held the third annual summit in Melbourne. Their governments announced 18 outcomes involving maritime security, uranium trade, critical minerals, space cooperation, skills, culture and sport. The package reinforced the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2020. The official visit ran from July 8 to July 10.
The leaders signed a new Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and created an annual defence ministers’ dialogue. The declaration calls for closer consultation, more complex military exercises and stronger interoperability across the armed forces. It also covers defence industry links, military education and a proposed arrangement for defence articles and services. Both countries agreed to explore a bilateral framework for defence innovation and research. The declaration builds on a bilateral security framework signed in 2009.
A separate maritime security roadmap covers information sharing, capability development, training and operational coordination. Australia’s Maritime Border Command and the Indian Coast Guard also concluded a memorandum supporting maritime safety and security. The countries established the PACTS partnership for cyber security, critical technologies, digital resilience and supply chain diversification. They commissioned a temporary tracking terminal on the Cocos Keeling Islands for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight program. A trilateral technology memorandum also brought Canada into the cooperation framework.
Defence and energy agreements define summit package
The summit produced final administrative arrangements for Australian uranium exports under a 2015 nuclear cooperation agreement with India. The fuel must serve peaceful purposes and remain under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. The arrangement creates the required government framework, but officials announced no buyer, shipment volume or delivery schedule. The broader energy statement covered coal, liquefied natural gas, diesel, renewable power, electrification and low carbon fuels. Australia also reiterated support for India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Australia and India renewed critical minerals cooperation through an agreement between Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of India. The framework supports scientific exchanges for resource mapping and mineral exploration. Both governments backed continued trade and investment under their existing economic agreement while negotiations continue on a broader trade pact. A rooftop solar training academy in Gujarat will train 2,000 women and young people as technicians, installers or helpers. The summit also welcomed a business CEO forum held during the visit.
Education, culture and sport broaden cooperation
Education and skills formed another major part of the outcome package. Flinders University received a letter of intent for a Bengaluru campus, while Victoria University secured approval to operate in Gurugram. The governments also supported a mining skills centre at the National Skill Training Institute in Bhubaneswar. Australia announced $10 million for Maitri grants through the Centre for Australia-India Relations. The grants will support projects focused on economic cooperation and community links between the countries.
The summit produced a sports collaboration roadmap linked to major events in both countries. Australia will host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane, while India will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad. The governments recorded progress on returning cultural objects and human remains to their communities of origin. They reaffirmed cooperation through the Quad, ASEAN-led forums, the Pacific Islands Forum and the Indian Ocean Rim Association. The leaders also supported reform of the United Nations Security Council.
