PM Modi Australia Visit: India, Australia to Sign Uranium and Defence Pacts

India and Australia are expected to conclude a commercial uranium agreement. They will also unveil measures to bolster cooperation in maritime security and defence, people familiar with the matter said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Australia from Indonesia on Wednesday evening. The visit is part of a three-nation tour that includes Indonesia and will next take him to New Zealand.

Modi wrote on social media after landing in Melbourne that the visit will add vigour to bilateral ties. He will hold talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.

Securing Nuclear Fuel

Australia holds the world's largest uranium reserves. These deposits represent about a third of the global total. Australia has made only one shipment of uranium to India, in 2017.

The upcoming commercial uranium supply agreement builds on the Civil Nuclear Agreement. India and Australia inked this foundational pact in 2014, the people said.

Negotiations are nearing a close. There had been "substantive forward-looking conversations" that raised hope for a "logical conclusion", Vishwesh Negi, joint secretary (Oceania and Indo-Pacific) in the external affairs ministry, told a recent media briefing.

The deal aligns with India's new SHANTI Act. This legislation overhauls the domestic nuclear sector. It also follows a prior agreement this year with Canada's Cameco for 22 million pounds of uranium ore concentrate.

India plans to scale nuclear power generation to 100 GW by 2047. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India plans to construct 18 more reactors to achieve this capacity.

Upgrading Maritime Defence

Security frameworks are being modernised. The two nations are expected to unveil a new Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap. The plan aims to enhance collaborative maritime domain awareness using patrol aircraft, the people said.

They will also refresh the India-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation. The original agreement was finalised in November 2009 to facilitate cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and maritime security. The updated framework will reflect modern defence ambitions and the growth in defence and security cooperation, the people said.

Existing defence cooperation encompasses defence policy and staff talks. Defence ministers from both countries hold regular meetings. Besides conducting maritime exercises that have grown in scope and complexity, the 2021 Mutual Logistics Support Agreement currently allows warships to access each other's bases.

Trade And Diaspora

The visit cements Quad ties. Modi's trip will boost India's MAHASAGAR and Indo-Pacific visions. These efforts cement strategic ties between the two partners that are playing larger roles in the stability of the region, the people said.

In a protocol departure, Australia's Governor-General Sam Mostyn will travel from Canberra to Melbourne to meet Modi.

Modi will address the India-Australia CEOs Forum. Both sides are currently negotiating to upgrade the 2022 interim Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement into a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement.

Indian exports to Australia more than doubled from $4bn in 2020-21 to $8.5bn in 2024-25. Total bilateral trade stood at $24.1bn in 2024-25.

Modi and Albanese will address a community event at Marvel Stadium. The Indian diaspora in Australia has grown to almost one million people.