Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding if able for the Australian national anthem and Indian national anthem.
Request Premier of Victoria, Honourable Allan, to address this gathering.
Prime Minister Modi, it is my honour. It is my honour to welcome you to Melbourne and to Victoria. We are the education state, the multicultural capital of Australia, and the sporting capital of the world. Yes, we are the home of the MCG and the Boxing Day Test, but much more importantly than that, we are home to more Indian Australians than anywhere else in the country. Melbourne has hosted some big visits, this one is next level. 30,000 people filling a stadium, this is a statement, a statement about the strength and energy of India, a statement about the diversity of our community, and a statement about the economic future that Victoria and India are building together. Prime Minister, when I became Premier, I determined my first overseas trip would be to India, and I went. I went on that trip in 2024, and I brought a few things home with me: jobs in partnership with Indian companies, an international Kabaddi match, a new deal for Indian international students, and deep respect for India and its people and their ambition. My family will also tell you I brought home a love of yoga, and I got 600 days straight to show for it. Prime Minister Modi, I do invite you to take this message back home with you to India: Victoria respects India, we your people. We welcome your students, your businesses, your families, your ideas. In Victoria, the Indian community is not just accepted, they are part of who we are. India is not just a country we trade with, it is a country we trust. And let me say this, let me say this to Victoria's great, strong Indian community: you are welcome here. Your children never have to choose between being proudly Indian and proudly Victorian, because in this state, you can be both. And here in Victoria, you are wanted, you are home. Prime Minister Modi, thank you, thank you for honouring Melbourne and Victoria with your visit. And Prime Minister Albanese, thank you for your leadership which is strengthening the Australia-India relationship, the world's biggest democracy. It is now my pleasure to welcome my friend, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Anthony Albanese.
Well, thank you so much. And I begin by addressing President and Prime Minister Modi, my friend, welcome to Marvelous Melbourne. As a true friend of Australia and a very dear friend of mine, it is an honour to host you this evening, and I also welcome each and every one of you out there in the stands. Over the years, this stadium has seen some loud and legendary events, and none more significant than this. The energy that we feel in here tonight defines the Australia-India partnership. It is an enthusiasm and a dynamism that drives the positivity and promise of two nations and people. As Prime Minister, I have twice had the great privilege of visiting India, and each time, I was overawed by the beauty and vibe of the land and humbled by the generosity of its people. When Prime Minister Modi hosted me three years ago, we had a lap at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Now, that was an experience I will never forget, and I can say we saw the depth of affection between two peoples. In Gujarat in 2023, it was just as powerful. Present among this incredible, booming crowd, it is a warmth I have known since well before I became Prime Minister of Australia. My first trip to India was as a backpacker in 1991. I spent six weeks backpacking around India, which was a fantastic experience. I learned something simple and clear. I have communicated to my fellow Australians: if you want to understand India, get on a train. Wherever I went, I had delicious food, I heard wonderful stories, and I was welcomed into the homes of people I met. I saw the richness and depth of Indian culture. On this stage, all later, it is such a privilege to have the chance to extend our own Australian hospitality to Prime Minister Modi. Because this evening, we all come together to celebrate the bond between two peoples, two great democracies, two great multicultural societies, the mutual respect that we share, the strength of our friendship, and the profound contribution to our great nation of the more than one million Australians who trace their rich, proud heritage back to India. Your generosity of spirit, your energy in times of trouble and national crisis, I have told Prime Minister Modi this in private before many times, but today I say it publicly as well: it is the Australian Indian community who are the first responders. They help and lend a hand to their fellow community members. It is a generosity that extends to building the prosperity of our nation, through boosting skills in critical industries like healthcare and IT, growing Australia's dynamic small business sector, all the contributions that so many students from India make when they choose Australia as their destination to invest in themselves and their education. And that is especially true here in the education state of Victoria. It is, of course, an exchange of educational enrichment that runs both ways, because it was Deakin University, Victoria, that became the first foreign university to open a campus in India. And I am proud to say it was the first of many. Friends, over generations, your commitment to Australia and its aspirations, and your love, this country has made better, stronger, and more vibrant Australians of all backgrounds. By enriching our culture and our multicultural character, we are a better nation because we have you in it. You are the living bridge between Australia and India. So thank you for being here this evening, and please join with me in welcoming my friend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
