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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-19 Daily Xml
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Modi, Hon. N.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:47): I move:

That this council—

1. Congratulates the Hon. Narendra Modi on his successful election in becoming the 15th Prime Minister of India;

2. Welcomes the Prime Minister of India on his first visit to Australia in November 2014; and

3. Congratulates and acknowledges the vibrant South Australian Indian community for their valuable contributions to the state.

The journey of the Hon. Narendra Modi in becoming the 15th democratically-elected Prime Minister of India is a remarkable one. India is the seventh-largest country by area. It is the second-most populous country with 1.25 billion people, and is the largest democracy in the world. The Indian 2014 general election resulted in 537 million votes cast over a five-week election cycle. The election took place between 7 April and 12 May this year and recorded an additional 130 million votes over the previous election, in 2009.

This election generated a high amount of voter engagement, with 66.38 per cent of the population voting—a much higher level than in other countries which practise a voluntary voting system. After the five-week campaign cycle, Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured an historic 282 seats in the Indian lower house, called Lok Sabha, which is composed of representatives of 543 constituencies.

Modi was able to form government with 31 per cent of the vote, as BJP held enough seats in their own right without the cumbersome array of coalition partners. To put Modi's significant achievement into perspective, the previous government, which is the Congress Party, has led coalition governments for the past 10 years and secured only 44 seats and 19.3 per cent of the vote in the 2014 general election—that is 238 less seats than Modi and the BJP Party.

Modi was born on 17 September 1950 into a humble family in Gujarat. With his first job as a tea seller, his personal journey up to leading the world's oldest civilisation and the youngest nation today reinforces the idea that every Indian can realise his or her aspirations if they work hard. Throughout Modi's career he has been known to his followers as a passionate, poetic and progressive leader. He is a leader of, for and by the people of India. He has always embodied the concerns, aspirations and ambitions of the people he represents as they are forever in his midst.

Through his impeccable track record as the chief minister of Gujarat for 13 years, Modi has developed an identity of being a transformational leader known for delivering results. In Modi's 13-year tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat he brought about a paradigm shift in the lives of people in Gujarat by delivering proactive, pro people and good governance, and he is now poised to do the same for the nation at large.

Modi is a visionary leader with big dreams and has a remarkable ability for implementing his visions. His approach balances the importance of big and small, with the vision of leveraging on global as well as local strengths. His pro business small government policies approach has prompted many citizens of the world to put him on the same page as transformative leaders such as former president Ronald Reagan and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Before Modi became the Prime Minister of India he was the chief minister of Gujarat, as I mentioned before. During his leadership he was able to economically and socially transform Gujarat, which provided him with a positive and trustworthy affiliation with change and future prosperity. For example, under Modi's leadership, Gujarat maintained more than 10 per cent GDP growth rate for over a decade and, moreover, this growth was balanced with the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors all growing by 10 per cent.

Another noticeable and widely renowned achievement of Modi's during his leadership as chief minister of Gujarat is that he was credited with bringing electricity to all 60.4 million residents—a first for India. This accreditation is a policy he wishes to expand beyond Gujarat and implement throughout India.

It is through these ambitions and economic transformations that during his prime ministerial campaign Modi secured a newly found faith and confidence amongst his countrymen and women as he successfully changed the mindset of Indian voters from social class differentiation based politics to development based politics. In the short time since he has become the Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi has proven his commitment to less government and more governance and placed India in a respectable position at the international level.

Prime Minister Modi visited Australia for the first time during the G20 summit recently. It has taken a prime minister of India 28 years to visit Australia—since 1986. It was a very overdue visit, particularly when India and Australia share so many things in common, including the great Indian Ocean, our connected history, shared heritage, strong economic ties and a love for sports, especially cricket.

The Indian Australian Community Foundation organised a community reception with the Hon. Mr Modi on 17 November at Olympic Park in Sydney. In terms of the buzz and turn out—I think there were 15,000 Indian community members who turned up for the event—he has been received like a rock star, according to what has been reported in the media.

The objective of the event was to increase the unity and strength of the Indian community in Australia. Around 200 Indian associations across Australia were there as reception partners. A special dedicated train from Melbourne to Sydney was organised—it was called the Modi Express—to transport people to the Olympic Park stadium. There were 27,000 people requesting tickets, and only about 16,000 tickets were able to be issued. It was just overwhelming. There were 300 volunteers who were selected out of 800 people listed as wanting to participate as volunteers. Mr Chirag Trivedi is the South Australian representative, and he has given me a glowing report about this particular initiative. I congratulate him for bringing so many South Australians to attend this reception for the Indian prime minister.

In terms of the summit, as we all know Prime Minister Tony Abbott actually visited India on 4 and 5 September this year. He has released a joint statement, and I would like to highlight some of the areas that have been discussed. The two prime ministers have firmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership and taken it to a new level of mutual trust. In terms of economic engagement, the prime ministers have underlined the priority that is attached to building economic partnerships, which is the pillar of the relationship. Both countries have recommitted to expand trade for further mutual benefit and as a long-term and sustainable boost to economic growth in both countries.

They have also agreed that there will be significant scope to boost investment and collaboration in both directions in infrastructure, resources, agriculture, manufacturing, health, education and other sectors to increase efficiencies, introduce new technologies and develop innovation and skills. Prime Minister Abbott welcomed growing Indian investment in Australia and underlined Australia's commitment to providing a stable investment environment and streamlined approvals process. Prime Minister Modi also welcomed Australian investment in a range of infrastructure, resources, technology and other projects in India.

In terms of the education and skills sector, I would like to highlight the fact that the two prime ministers welcomed the collaboration between universities, called for efforts to enlarge the scope of joint research, joint PhD programs and joint degrees, and commended the work of the Australia India Education Council in advancing education training and research partnerships. Prime Minister Modi expressed appreciation for the continued efforts of Australian authorities to ensure the welfare and security of Indian students studying in Australia. I think this is very welcome for South Australia, as a way of moving forward in the education sector.

Regarding people-to-people and cultural links, the prime ministers highlighted the importance of bilateral parliamentary exchanges, and agreed to reinvigorate reciprocal visits by parliamentary delegations. I hope that in the following years we will actually have parliamentarians from South Australia visiting India on a more frequent basis to secure some of those cultural as well as economic ties. The prime ministers recognised that rapidly-growing people-to-people links underpin our developing relationship and partnership, and will enable both countries to build even stronger relations into the future.

They appreciated that the Indian community is contributing significantly to the economic and social life of Australia with India now the largest source of skilled migrants to Australia. The prime ministers also noted that art, culture and sport can be powerful forces for bringing people together and called for closer and more intensified exchanges in the fields of culture and creative arts including visiting exhibitions, professional training and exchanges.

They welcomed the establishment of ICCR chairs of Indian studies in five universities in Australia to promote academic and student exchanges and Australia's support in the establishment of the different university chair in environmental studies. I think that is all a very welcoming policy and joint statement by the two prime ministers.

With over 18,000 Indian migrants living in South Australia, and as the shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs, I have the great privilege of working with so many dynamic leaders from the Indian community, and it is a great honour to have them as wonderful friends. In South Australia we have about 52 Indian associations and not-for-profit organisations. They range from community, sports and religious-based organisations to professional business and industry-related associations. I want to acknowledge the active participants of this growing community and to thank them for making a significant contribution to making South Australia a wonderful, multicultural state.

At this point I would also like to pay some special tributes to some Indian community leaders, not in any specific order, but I would like to put my thanks and appreciation on the record for these individuals and community leaders: Dr Rakesh Mohindra, President, Indian Australian Association of SA; Mr Chirag Trivedi, Indian Australian Community Foundation—Australia; and Dr Kuldip Chugha, President, Punjabi Association of South Australia, who recently organised a Diwali Mela at Thorndon Park. There were some 3,500 people there and it was pretty amazing.

I would also like to acknowledge Mr Adireddy Yara, President, Telugu Association of South Australia; Mr Gagan Sharma, President, Hindu Welfare and Social Services, who brought along a whole team of Hindu Welfare and Social Services members to attend the reception of Modi. He has been posting Facebook pictures and messages on social media, and he is an incredible, energetic young man.

To Mr Rajesh Kumar, President Punjab Aussie Association; Mr Himanshu Patel, President, AALAP Indian Association from the Gujarat community. We have Mr Ritesh Waghela, Public Officer of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Australia; Sunay Zaveri, Leader, Adelaide Shwetambar Jain Sangh; Ramesh and Priya Vijayan of the Kalalaya School of Indian Performing Arts; Mr Lawrence Annadurai, President, Adelaide Tamil Association; and Mudra Shah and her husband, Hardik Shah, from the Mudra Dance Academy were in Sydney as well. She serves happily as a volunteer and she posted hundreds of photos on Facebook for this occasion.

I would also like to acknowledge Saru Rana and Robbie Benipal of RAABTA Radio, the presenter and director there; Mintu Brar, President, Punjabi Cultural Association and also the sub-editor of the The Punjab, International Punjabi newspaper; and Dr Krish Sundararajan, President, South Australian Indian Medical Association. They have been wonderful leaders and they still have a very strong connection with India and they are contributing greatly to South Australia.

I also want to share the fact that the South Australian Indian community are such a proud part of the Australian community as well as having a strong, proud Indian heritage. I commend all the work they have done and their contribution to South Australia.

I am delighted to bring this motion to the attention of the South Australian parliament. I look forward to hearing the various contributions from other honourable members. The Indian community of South Australia is vibrant, inspiring and energetic. We are very fortunate to have them enrich our state in their social, cultural and economic undertakings. It is a privilege to put on the record and acknowledge their wonderful contribution. With those few words, I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (17:05): I rise to speak in favour of this motion. I express my congratulations to the Hon. Narendra Modi on his election as Prime Minister of India, and I also acknowledge the valuable contribution made by the Indian community to Australian society. I also thank the Hon. Jing Lee for moving this motion.

South Australia has enjoyed a lengthy relationship with India. The first known immigrants arrived from India in the 1830s. Some settled in the copper mining and pastoral areas to our north, naming a local creek Burra Burra, from which it is said the nearby town derived its name. Indians were also among the so-called Afghan cameleers, collectively termed 'Afghans' by authorities in the colonies because of their similar appearance, turbans and attire.

After a hiatus of some decades, due to the white Australia policy, Indian migration resumed and, of course, in recent years we have welcomed many Indian students to our community, both temporarily (for study and other purposes) and permanently. According to Austrade figures, in 2013, Indian students made up the second highest number of international students studying in Australia. International education was worth nearly $1 billion to the South Australian economy in 2013-14.

I want to look at the career of Prime Minister Modi as a realisation of the idea that any person, whatever his or her circumstances, can indeed rise to be his or her nation's leader, and the story of Prime Minister Modi is certainly one of triumph over adversity. Mr Modi was born in 1950 into a low-caste family. He first worked, as a little boy, with his father in their tea stall at Vadnagar Railway Station in Gujarat. Growing up, he took an interest in a Hindu nationalist group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), later joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The desire to see Hinduism enshrined in the constitution remains a key aim of that party, which he leads today.

Crucially involved in securing the BJP victory in the 1995 elections in the state of Gujarat, he consolidated his reputation as an economic manager and energetic proponent of development. According to Al Jazeera, Gujarat, under his leadership, grew to lead the nation in GDP growth, and it now enjoys an unimpeded power supply and excellent road infrastructure.

Mr Modi became the party's prime ministerial candidate in 2013 on the twin platforms of Hindu nationalism and economic management, emphasising the need for more jobs, more development and the alleviation of poverty, and he was elected in May this year. Prime Minister Modi, as all strong leaders do, attracts both praise and criticism in his country. In amplifying these disparate views in an article in the New Statesman, noted commentator William Dalrymple has referred to Mr Modi as:

…a strong and decisive leader, who would be brave enough to make the difficult reforms and provide the firm governance and economic prosperity [his] country is craving.

Meanwhile, The Economist assesses Prime Minister Modi as 'a strong-willed moderniser' bent on reforming India's economy through manufacturing, technology, good governance and improved infrastructure, and he is looking outwards as well.

Already, he has addressed the UN General Assembly and held talks with President Obama. Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited India, as have Britain's Chancellor and Foreign Secretary. In August, he was hosted by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Clearly, Prime Minister Modi's visit to our country has great significance for the Australian-Indian community and for the Australian community as a whole. As the Hon. Jing Lee mentioned earlier, he is a politician receiving rock star status, which I suppose many of us politicians would love to have as well.

Let us look at some of the key issues that underpin our relationship with India. According to the Lowy Institute:

India is Australia's tenth largest two-way trading partner, with a total volume of…$11.9 billion in 2013. India is Australia's fifth largest export market, with coal, gold, copper ore and concentrates and agricultural products among Australia's major exports. These figures have fallen considerably in recent years, registering a 22% decline in two-way trade in the year up to 2013. There are, however, strong prospects for the trade and investment relationship to pick up again, with the likely revival of the Indian economy and growing Indian investment in Australia.

It also adds:

Australia and India have a growing number of shared security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region. In light of this, relations between Australia and India were upgraded to the level of a 'strategic partnership' in 2009. Australia and India issued a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation with the aim of enhancing relations in this area. The opportunities for Australia-India security cooperation are particularly strong in the maritime domain.

Finally, and most interestingly, the Lowy Institute points out that:

Indian-born Australians are now the fourth largest migrant community in Australia and in 2011-12 represented the primary source of Australia's migration program. The 2011 census revealed that the number of Australians born in India more than doubled since 2006, and Punjabi has become Australia's fastest growing language. This will provide Australia with unique opportunities to strengthen its economic ties with India.

The same census shows us that 18,741 people who were born in India were living in South Australia in 2011 and that 20,834 reported having Indian ancestry. Indian immigrants contribute to a stronger South Australia through cultural diversity as an enabler of social, cultural and economic prosperity. Their knowledge, skills and experience are well regarded here.

I want to acknowledge the pluralist tradition that allows people in South Australia of all cultural and social backgrounds and all faiths to reside together in harmony and goodwill. It is in this context, and with the future growth of our relationship with India and its people in mind, that I reiterate my welcome to Prime Minister Modi and wish him well for a productive and enjoyable visit to Australia. I commend the motion to this house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

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