Chair of Parliamentary Friends of India, Dr Andrew Charlton, had a book release for his book ‘Australia’s Pivot to India’ in New Delhi. He is the first Federal Australian Parliamentarian to have written a book on the bilateral relationship and also have a book release in India. The book which was released in Australia in September last year was formally launched in India today at the Indian Habitat Centre in New Delhi. India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri was the Chief Guest at the launch.
Minister Suri said that the book is a thoughtful and optimistic vision for the future. He mentioned that we need to build resilience into the economic relationship and added that we need a partnership on critical minerals.
The event was also included a conversation with Ashok Malik, Partner and Chair, India Practice Group, The Asia Group.
In the book Dr Charlton describes the growth of India and its impact on Australia and mentions that for Australia, India has emerged as a new partner offering hope for a more secure and balanced region.
In an earlier interview, Dr Charlton had told Pallavi Jain that India has become a global superpower and spoke about India’s importance for Australia. He also mentioned that many Australians don’t fully understand the breadth and depth of modern India and part of the reason for writing the book was to help breakdown some of the stereotypes about the country. He further emphasised the role of the Indian diaspora in deepening bilateral ties between Australia and India.
Dr Charlton said that India will play a major part in securing the Indo-Pacific and highlighted the fact that PM Anthony Albanese is the only Australian Prime Minister to have visited India twice in a year.
Dr Charlton is Federal MP from Parramatta which is home to one of the largest Indian diaspora communities in Australia. He has a Masters and Doctorate in Economics from Oxford University and is a Rhodes Scholar. He was Senior Economic Adviser to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and G20 Sherpa from 2008 to 2010. Dr Charlton is also the founder of AlphaBeta, a strategy and analytics company acquired by Accenture in 2020. He was Managing Director of Accenture from 2020 to 2022 before being elected Federal Member for Parramatta.
The rapidly growing Indian diaspora is estimated to soon become the largest migrant group in Australia. This book celebrates the contribution of Indian Australians to the community and the nation.
