Premier Jacinta Allan will be visiting India next month. She had first announced this last year at the Premier’s Diwali 2023 reception hosting the Victorian Indian community for its biggest festival of the year.
Almost 15 years ago, as Victoria’s Minister for Industry and Trade, Jacinta Allan had written to the then Premier about the need to establish a strategic relationship with India to untap immense opportunities the relationship offered.
Since then, that partnership has gone from strength to strength. And Jacinta Allan in her first ever overseas trip as Premier, is travelling to India.
In a statement release today, the Premier said, “in September, I will make India my first trip overseas as Premier of Victoria.”
“I can’t take full credit for the idea – the benefits of better engagement with India spoke for themselves – but it was the beginning of a new chapter in our partnership.
India is an incredibly important part of our community and economy, making valuable and valued contributions to all aspects of our state”, the Premier added.
Victoria is home to the largest Indian-born community in Australia, with more than a quarter of a million mums, dads and kids, business owners and students, doctors and nurses, artists and engineers – all working hard and raising their families here.
As migrants, Indians are perhaps the lowest-maintenance group for the government making the highest per capita contribution to the society. Premier Allan, recognizing the important role India and the Indians play in making a contribution to Victoria had earlier (February 2024) said why she chose India for her first ever trip as Premier overseas:
“And I’ve made that decision to make India the first trip I will make representing the state of Victoria as Premier because they are an incredibly important part of our community and our economy here in Victoria.”
According to 2021 Census data, Victoria’s Indian population grew to four per cent, or 258,193 Victorians.
And just over 5 per cent of Victorians in 2021 had at least one parent who was born in India.
This trip, says the Premier, will strengthen our collaboration with one of our most important trade and investment partners and further identify opportunities for collaboration in priority areas including education and education technology, innovation in industry, the creative sector, and the wider visitor economy.