Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, on Thursday, 9 July reaffirmed their shared commitment to a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific at the third Australia–India Annual Summit held in Melbourne. The two leaders strongly opposed any destabilising or unilateral action that could alter the regional status quo or undermine peace and stability.

Key Declarations on Maritime Law and Regional Order

Both leaders stressed the right of all nations to exercise freedoms consistent with international law — particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — including freedom of navigation and overflight. They emphasised that disputes in the region must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, according to the joint statement released following the summit.

The summit was attended by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and other senior officials from both sides.

Quad, IORA, and Multilateral Frameworks

Modi and Albanese reaffirmed the importance of the Quad as a partnership delivering practical outcomes for the Indo-Pacific, welcoming the agreements reached by Quad Foreign Ministers at their meeting in New Delhi in May. The two leaders also underscored the need to strengthen cooperation in the Indian Ocean region, including through the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) under India's Chairship.

They welcomed joint search and rescue training for IORA Member States, conducted by Australia and India at the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Chennai in June, and Australia's hosting of the sixth meeting of the IORA Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security in Perth in June.

The leaders also welcomed cooperation under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the Australia-India-Indonesia trilateral mechanism. Both reaffirmed their commitment to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and its 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Albanese recognised India's development partnerships with Pacific Island countries through the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) framework.

Counter-Terrorism: Pahalgam and Bondi Beach Attacks Condemned

Modi and Albanese jointly condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms, calling on all nations to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner. Both leaders specifically called for action against globally proscribed terrorists and terror entities — including those listed by the United Nations Security Council 1267 Sanctions Committee — along with their proxies, affiliates, sponsors, and financiers.

In a significant joint statement, both prime ministers reiterated their condemnation of the terrorist attacks at Bondi Beach in Australia and Pahalgam in India. The joint statement noted: 'The Prime Ministers recognised the need for enhancing cooperation to effectively counter the challenges of combating terrorism. They committed to increase information sharing on terrorist threats in our region and explore opportunities for enhanced collaboration to counter radicalisation, including online radicalisation, violent extremism conducive to terrorism and countering use of new and emerging technology for terrorist purposes, financing of terrorism, threats to critical infrastructure and the maritime domain.'

What This Summit Signals

This is the third Australia–India Annual Summit, reflecting the deepening cadence of bilateral engagement since the two countries elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The explicit reference to UNCLOS and freedom of navigation — without naming any specific actor — is widely read as a signal directed at China's assertiveness in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. Notably, the joint condemnation of both the Pahalgam and Bondi Beach attacks places counter-terrorism at the centre of the bilateral agenda in a way that earlier summits did not.

With India holding the IORA Chair and the Quad gaining institutional momentum, the Melbourne summit reinforces a pattern: Australia and India are increasingly coordinating not just bilaterally but through overlapping multilateral architectures to shape the regional order.