Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Australia from Indonesia on Wednesday evening as part of a three-nation tour that will also take him to New Zealand
India and Australia are expected to conclude an agreement on the commercial supply of uranium to support New Delhi’s nuclear power generation goals and unveil measures to bolster cooperation in maritime security and defence during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Melbourne, people familiar with the matter said.
Modi arrived in Australia from Indonesia on Wednesday evening as part of a three-nation tour that will also take him to New Zealand. He said on social media after landing in Melbourne that the visit will add vigour to bilateral ties and that he looked forward to talks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday.
An agreement on the commercial supply of uranium, which will build on the Civil Nuclear Agreement inked by India and Australia in 2014, is expected to be finalised during the visit, the people said. Australia has the world’s largest uranium reserves — about a third of the global total — and has made only one shipment of uranium to India, in 2017.
The two sides have been negotiating a commercial deal for some time, and Vishwesh Negi, joint secretary (Oceania and Indo-Pacific) in the external affairs ministry, told a recent media briefing that there had been “substantive forward-looking conversations” that raised hope for a “logical conclusion”.
Witnessed a truly exceptional musical performance featuring Australia’s ancient Didgeridoo and India’s Tabla. The harmony between these two timeless instruments beautifully reflected the deep cultural connect between our two nations.
Compliments to Mr. Ron Murray and Dr. Sam… pic.twitter.com/GTZtym4qur
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 8, 2026
The development follows India’s new SHANTI Act, which overhauls the nuclear sector, and an agreement between India and Canada’s Cameco earlier this year for the supply of 22 million pounds of uranium ore concentrate. It also dovetails with India’s plans to step up nuclear power generation to 100 GW by 2047, with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India planning to build 18 more reactors.
Cooperation in maritime security and defence will get a boost through new arrangements set to be unveiled during the prime minister’s visit. The two sides are expected to unveil a new Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap after enhancing collaborative maritime domain awareness activities using patrol aircraft, the people said.
The India-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, finalised in November 2009 to facilitate cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and maritime security, will be refreshed to match the ambitions of both sides and reflect the growth in defence and security cooperation, the people said.
The two sides currently hold defence policy talks and defence services staff talks, and there are regular meetings between the defence ministers. Besides conducting maritime exercises that have grown in scope and complexity, India and Australia signed the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement in 2021, allowing warships to access each other’s bases.
Modi’s visit to boost Indo-pacific vision
The people said Modi’s visit will boost India’s MAHASAGAR and Indo-Pacific visions by cementing ties between two Quad partners that are playing larger roles in the stability of the region. In a departure from established protocols, Australia’s Governor-General Sam Mostyn will travel from the capital, Canberra, to Melbourne to meet Modi.
