A Major Economic Surge: How Cricket, Business, and IABCA Immersion Week Initiatives Are Strengthening the Australia-India Relationship

From arts to business, tech, healthcare, hospitality, innovation and more, Australia’s Indian-born population plays a huge role in the country’s economic and cultural landscape. With a combination of skilled migrants, professionals and students, it’s the country’s second largest migrant community and fastest growing diaspora – signifying an important opportunity to embrace and strengthen the thriving relationship between Australia and India. 

This week’s IABCA Immersion Week does just that. Organised by the India Australia Business & Community Alliance (IABCA), the week-long business initiative features seven key events across three states, with a focus on connecting businesses and individuals, leadership initiatives, and celebrating trade and investment achievements. 

After proceedings kicked off on Monday with a IABCA and IACC (Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce) Welcome Reception in Queensland, Tuesday evening marked the start of three days in Sydney. NSW Premier Chris Minns and Treasurer Daniel Mookhey welcomed guests on Tuesday at an IABCA Welcome Event at NSW Parliament House, with a combination of IABCA Awards nominees, community leaders, businesses, and strategic alliance partners in attendance, as well as Minister Steve Kamper, the Minister for Multiculturalism and Sport.

Tim Thomas, the CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations, began by announcing that the IABCA Immesion Week “will engage more than 1,000 people across seven unique initiatives throughout the week, contributing over half a million dollars to our local economies”.

The premier announced the launch of the Summer of Cricket – in partnership with Cricket Australia – which has been touted as "the biggest Indian summer ever" to be hosted by Australia with Indian men's and women's teams playing in eight different venues around Australia.

“There’s certain events that you need sometimes to crystallise the relationship between Australia and India, and I can't think of a more apt platform or stage than this Summer of Cricket,” Premier Chris Minns told event guests. “This will be one of the most-watched sporting events in the globe over that period of time, and the stakes couldn't be higher.” 

While on stage, Mr Minns also highlighted the opportunities to strengthen Australia and India’s economic and cultural ties beyond sport.

“Increasingly, India is now our third most popular country of birth, after Australia and England. The growth in the diaspora, the Indian Australian community, particularly in Western Sydney has been a massive boom for our economy in Sydney's west, but also an exciting opportunity – one that I don't think has been fully captured,” he said. 

“Australia needs to be on the precipice of taking advantage of that huge opportunity, and that's really the challenge for our state and our country. We're determined to do it, and I think a platform like this is a great way to do it.” 

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, who is the first politician of Indian origin to become Treasurer in any Australian state, also spoke about the various synergies between India and Australia… and of course, the shared love of cricket.

The treasurer reflected on being a fan of the sport since he was a child, recalling “watching Australia versus India at five in the morning” when he was just nine years old in the Indian state of Haryana. 

“It’s taken a long time for us to build up the Australian rivalry,” he also said. “I recall in the 90s, the idea that India would come to Australia was rare. I'm fairly positive from memory [that there was] about eight to nine years at one period of time where the Indian team wasn't touring, and it took a long time to build up the rivalry intensity in sport. But, look at it now!” 

Mr Mookhey said he looked forward to taking his own kids to watch the cricket this summer, and that this initiative “will be another step in… forging those links and reminders of what we have in common with India, but equally, showing Australia to the world”. 

“The key though is that the relationship can't end there, and you can't just stop at cricket,” he said. “It can't just stop at the traditional ways in which we engage – is the point that's been made a lot.”

The treasurer commended “the fact that we now have serious institutional capability being built through IABCA, and even the Centre for Australia-India Relations, that are broadening our relationship, making it a true partnership”.

He also made mention of the IABCA Awards Dinner coming up on Friday night, which features 13 categories celebrating the achievements of businesses and individuals. 

“I had the pleasure a couple of years ago of sitting on the IABCA Awards panel that was judging what the diaspora was up to at the time,” he said, noting that businesses and entrepreneurs who won back then have now gone on to achieve immense success. 

“The fact that IABCA has built a reputation as being serious and rigorous… I mean, you get a lot of organisations that do a lot of awards, the fact that this one is taken very seriously, it's an important signal,” he said.

“And what's interesting is that the complexity of the businesses that are coming through the awards has changed – getting bigger, more scale, far more complex, far more risk taking. That reflects the fact that the relationship itself is evolving.” 

Sonia Gandhi, who is the Founder of IABCA and Director of Gandhi Creations, also mentioned some key partners in making IABCA a success.

“We work as an alliance with the Australia India Business Council, Australia India Chamber of Commerce, Invest India Export Council, and so many other India diaspora organisations that help us build those bridges,” she said.

Gandhi also highlighted the incredible diversity and calibre of finalists this year that help fuel the unity and strength of an alliance that has 14,000 business subscribers. “All of you act as true two-nation ambassadors, because you are creating and are the architects of the IABCA legacy,” she said.

“I do want to take a moment to thank you for sharing your stories, because it takes a lot to stop what you're doing as a business owner… and then think as to what you achieved over the past 12 months and enter a specific category or a specific award.

“So for that, we are very grateful.”