AIYD 2022

SUMMARY

Over four days in June 2022, book-ended with our Opening and Closing Gala Dinners, 30 young leaders from across India and Australia participated in the first Australia India Youth Dialogue since the beginning of the global pandemic. Travelling between Sydney and Melbourne, delegates and observers attended sessions with leaders from the bilateral to examine and discuss the opportunities to help build the Australia India bilateral in safer, smarter, fairer and greener ways.

On the first day in Sydney, delegates and observers to the Dialogue were welcomed onto country with a smoking ceremony and a welcome from Uncle Michael West at the Gala Dinner. Each of the days were then opened with a welcome from university hosts, including Vice-Chancellor Professor Bruce Dowton of Macquarie University, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Kathy Belov of the University of Sydney, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin of Deakin University, and Vice-Chancellor and President and Professor Margaret Gardner AC of Monash University.

The 2022 Dialogue showcased the opportunities for young leaders to capitalise on the momentum of the Australia-India bilateral relationship. Delegates heard keynote addresses from the Governor of New South Wales Her Excellency Margaret Beazley AC QC, Minister the Hon Stuart Ayres MP, former Prime Minister of Australia and Special Trade Envoy for India the Hon Tony Abbott AC, and from both the High Commissioner to India HE Barry O'Farrell AO and the High Commissioner to Australia HE Manpreet Vohra. In addition to these keynote addresses, eminent speakers from Australia and India across the four themes within Build Back Better, including the 2022 NSW Australian of the Year Prof. Veena Sahajwalla, the Hon Lisa Singh, Agatha Sangma MP, Jade Hameister OAM, Prof Anushka Patel, Pallavi Sharda and more. They also heard from industry and venture capital leaders including Gretta Stephens, Gareth O’Reilly, Ashok Mysore and Bienna Chow.

Our Delegates also had the opportunity to experience a small slice of Australian culture through a boat tour on Sydney Harbour, the opportunity to experience Sydney during the Vivid Festival, a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a set by comedian, Urvi Majumdar, and sampling of Australian food and wine.

The aim of the dialogue is to prompt important conversations about how young leaders can strengthen the bilateral relationship. Each day delegates participated in a series of curated panel discussions that examined each of the dialogue’s themes in detail, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in the contemporary bilateral relationship.

Further information about the delegatees, presenters and program are available in the report.