Australian Envoy Interacts with Public Policy Professionals in Kochi

KOCHI:
“India’s global economic outreach and the growth of the Indian Diaspora in Australia have influenced Australia’s renewed interest in India,” said Harinder Sidhu, the Australian High Commissioner to India. “Though India and Australia discovered each other through trade relations, it is gradually making way for strategic partnership,” she added, while interacting with a team of public policy professionals at the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) office here on Tuesday. Sidhu is in Kochi, heading an Australian delegation to mark the arrival of an Australian navy ship to the port of Kochi.
Sidhu noted that Australia’s migration programme is a model for the rest of the world. Australia has successfully blended people from 200 different countries in the world. Every year, the country receives about 1 per cent of its population as migrants. Most of these migrants who belong to the working age group bring with them talent, creativity and innovation. Results of the Census 2106 of Australia that were published last week reveal that Australia is home to more migrants from Asia than from Europe. Sidhu added that reliable academic studies have confirmed the direct correlation between the economic performance of Australia and the size of the migrant population in the country.
Sidhu and the team exchanged views on the issue of rising instances of home-grown radicals in Australia and India. She noted that since terrorism was a common cause of concern, Australia and India could collaborate to understand and analyse the issue of radicalisation of educated youth.
Jon Bonnar, Deputy Consul–General for South India, accompanied Sidhu. P K Hormis Tharakan (Former RAW Chief and Advisor, CPPR), Professor K C Abraham (Advisor, CPPR) and D Dhanuraj (Chairman, CPPR) were part of the CPPR team.
CPPR is public policy think-tank based in Kochi, dedicated to extensive and in-depth research on current economic, social and political issues.