Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to visit India in December with a business delegation, including a business event in Mumbai and a cricket engagement in Chennai. He said Australia-India economic ties remain underused despite strengthening political, educational and strategic relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
New York, Sept 2026 : Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced plans to visit India in December with a business delegation, saying the economic relationship between the two countries has significant room for further expansion despite steadily strengthening political and strategic ties.
Albanese disclosed the planned visit during a conversation with former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd at the Asia Society in New York. He said his India programme would include a business event in Mumbai before concluding in Chennai with a cricket-related engagement.
Albanese said the India visit would take place while he travels towards the G20 summit in Florida, which he said is scheduled for December 14 and 15 and will be hosted by US President Donald Trump.
The Australian prime minister said he planned to take a group of Australian businesses to Mumbai for a one-day event modelled on Australia's “G'day LA” initiative. The programme is intended to provide an opportunity for Australian companies to engage with Indian businesses and explore opportunities in the country's expanding market.
The visit will also have a sporting component. Albanese said the programme would conclude in Chennai with a cricket event involving teams representing the Australian states of Victoria and Western Australia. Australia and India have already announced expanded sports cooperation, including the staging of the opening match of Australia's Big Bash League in Chennai in December as part of a week-long “G'Day Namaste” festival.
Describing the broader relationship, Albanese said Australia and India shared democratic and Commonwealth links, as well as strong connections in education and sport. He noted that Australian universities were increasingly establishing a presence in India.
However, Albanese said the economic partnership remained “underutilised” and argued that both governments should work towards expanding commercial engagement.
“There’s a lot more we can do though. It has been underutilised, the relationship and partnership, but both PM Modi and myself are very keen on rectifying that,” he said.
Albanese also pointed to India's growing economic and demographic importance. He said India was on course to become the world's third-largest economy and already had the world's largest population.
While discussing India's development, Albanese credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government with expanding access to electricity and energy. He said a large number of people had gained access to energy during Modi's tenure, describing the expansion in highly favourable terms.
The Australian leader also highlighted his personal relationship with Modi. Albanese said the two leaders had each visited the other's country twice since he became prime minister, providing opportunities for direct engagement and strengthening bilateral ties.
“He is someone who we have a strong relationship with. I think there’s a lot more can be done in our economic partnership,” Albanese said.
Recalling Modi's visits to Australia, Albanese referred to a large community gathering involving the Indian diaspora. He said Modi had encouraged those attending to cheer for the Australian prime minister, a moment that drew laughter during the New York discussion.
Rudd, who served as Australia's prime minister from 2007 to 2010, said the relationship between Australia and India had gone “from strength to strength”. He pointed to expanding bilateral cooperation and the role of the Quad, which brings Australia, India, Japan and the United States together.
The India relationship forms part of Australia's wider Indo-Pacific strategy. Albanese said Canberra had strengthened ties with the United States, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and Pacific island nations while continuing to manage its major trading relationship with China.
Australia and India cooperate through the Quad on areas including maritime security, critical and emerging technologies, resilient supply chains, health and disaster response.
The two countries are also seeking to deepen commercial links in sectors including education, resources, critical minerals, technology, clean energy and infrastructure.
Albanese's December visit is therefore expected to combine political engagement, business outreach and sporting diplomacy. His decision to take Australian companies to Mumbai reflects Canberra's stated interest in converting strong government-to-government ties into greater commercial engagement, while the Chennai cricket event will add a public and cultural dimension to the visit.
