Rijiju hails PM Modi's Australia visit as a hat-trick
Synopsis
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju amplified PM Modi's remarks marking his third visit to Australia in 12 years as a 'hat-trick,' contrasting it with the 28-year gap before Modi's historic 2014 trip. The visit underscores India's deepening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Australia.
Key Takeaways
PM Narendra Modi is on his third visit to Australia in 12 years , which Minister Rijiju described as a 'hat-trick.' Before Modi's 2014 visit, no Indian Prime Minister had visited Australia for 28 years — the last being Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 .
India and Australia elevated ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020 .
The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement was signed in 2022 , creating preferential trade access.
Both nations are members of the Quad , alongside the United States and Japan .
Outcomes expected include deals on critical minerals , defence industry cooperation, and migration arrangements .
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, 9 July 2026 shared remarks by Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscoring the depth of India-Australia ties, highlighting that PM Modi's current trip marks his third visit to Australia in 12 years — a feat Rijiju called a 'hat-trick.'
Context
Quoting PM Modi directly, Rijiju posted on X: 'मैं जब साल 2014 में ऑस्ट्रेलिया आया था, तो 28 साल के बाद भारत का कोई पीएम यहाँ पहुँचा था' ('When I came to Australia in 2014, it was the first visit by an Indian PM in 28 years'). Modi recalled telling the Indian diaspora at the time that they would not have to wait another 28 years — a promise he has since kept, visiting Australia for the third time in 12 years.
The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Australia before 2014 was Rajiv Gandhi, whose trip in 1986 had left a nearly three-decade gap in prime ministerial engagement between the two countries.
Policy Backdrop
India and Australia elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020, signalling a qualitative shift beyond trade and diaspora links toward defence, intelligence, and Indo-Pacific security cooperation. The two countries also signed the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement in 2022, creating a framework for preferential market access.
India's sustained high-level engagement with Australia is part of its broader Act East and Indo-Pacific strategies, which prioritise partnerships with like-minded democracies in the region. Both nations are members of the Quad, alongside the United States and Japan, a grouping that has grown in strategic salience amid shifting regional dynamics.
Stakeholders and Impact
The Indian diaspora in Australia — one of the fastest-growing migrant communities in the country — stands as a direct stakeholder in the health of bilateral ties, benefiting from improved mobility arrangements, educational linkages, and consular support. Defence and trade officials on both sides are closely watching for announcements on critical minerals, defence industry collaboration, and migration pathways.
Rijiju's post, amplifying PM Modi's own words under the hashtag #PMModiInAustralia, reflects the ruling party's intent to frame the visit as evidence of a transformed foreign-policy posture — one defined by continuity, frequency, and deepening substance rather than episodic summitry.
What's Next
Attention will now turn to the outcomes of PM Modi's engagements in Australia, including any agreements on defence industry cooperation, critical minerals supply chains, or updated migration and education arrangements. The next scheduled India-Australia 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue — involving foreign and defence ministers from both sides — is expected to build on the momentum generated by the prime ministerial visit.
If the pattern of the past decade holds, this third visit could set the stage for further institutionalisation of the partnership, moving it from strategic declarations toward concrete operational cooperation across maritime security, clean energy, and technology sectors.
Point of View
Using the cricket-inflected 'hat-trick' metaphor to communicate continuity and momentum to both domestic and diaspora audiences. The contrast with the 28-year gap before 2014 is a recurring BJP foreign-policy narrative that frames the Modi era as a decisive break from perceived neglect of the Indo-Pacific. Amplifying the Prime Minister's own words rather than offering independent commentary is a disciplined signal of party unity around the visit. More broadly, the frequency of prime ministerial visits to Australia — three in 12 years — is itself a metric of how central the Quad architecture and Indo-Pacific strategy have become to India's foreign policy identity.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is PM Modi's Australia visit called a hat-trick?
It is called a hat-trick because this is PM Narendra Modi's third visit to Australia in 12 years, a term Minister Kiren Rijiju used to highlight the frequency and consistency of high-level India-Australia engagement.
When did an Indian PM last visit Australia before Modi's 2014 trip?
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Australia in 1986, meaning there was a 28-year gap before PM Modi's first visit in 2014.
What is the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership?
India and Australia elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2020, encompassing defence, intelligence sharing, trade, and Indo-Pacific security cooperation.
What is the India-Australia trade agreement?
The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, signed in 2022, provides a framework for preferential market access and forms the economic pillar of the broader strategic partnership.
What is the Quad and how does it involve India and Australia?
The Quad is a strategic grouping of India, Australia, the United States, and Japan focused on a free and open Indo-Pacific. Both India and Australia are founding members and participate in regular Quad summits and ministerial dialogues.
