India-Australia Defence Ties Set to Deepen as Rajnath Singh Congratulates Reappointed Aussie Deputy PM
New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday wished Australian Labor Party leader Richard Marles good luck on his reappointment as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Australia.
Taking to his official X handle, Singh shared, "Heartiest congratulations to my friend @RichardMarlesMP on his reappointment as the Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister. Looking forward to further consolidating our close cooperation to deepen bilateral defence relations under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."
This congratulatory message follows the Australian federal election, when Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor Party recently won an emphatic victory. Anthony Albanese had won a historic win in the nation's general election, the first time since 21 years that an Australian prime minister won the second successive three-year term.
Earlier on May 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too spoke over the phone with Anthony Albanese and wished him on his historic re-election as Australia's 32nd Prime Minister. The Prime Ministers reconfirmed their commitment to further enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between the two nations. They pointed out that during its five years, the CSP has witnessed strong cooperation building in a wide range of sectors. They emphasized the contribution of the dynamic Indian origin diaspora towards strengthening bilateral relations.
The two leaders also shared their perspectives on regional and international issues of common concern and reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating in promoting a free, open, stable, rules-based and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
Prime Minister extended an invitation to PM Albanese to come to India including for the Annual Summit and the QUAD Summit to be held in India later during the year. Leaders agreed to stay in contact.
At the same time, Richard Marles, originally elected to the House of Representatives for Corio, Victoria, in 2007, has served in a number of senior roles during his career. These include Minister for Trade, Minister for Employment, and the parliamentary secretary roles. He was also chair of the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Affairs.
Born in 1967 and growing up in Geelong, Marles is a graduate of the University of Melbourne, holding both a Law and Science degree (LLB Hons, BSc).
Early voting got underway in Australia's federal election on April 22, with the prediction that about half of the 18 million enrolled voters were to have voted ahead of the election day on May 3. Voting is compulsory for all citizens above the age of 18 in Australia. A record 98.2 per cent voter enrollment was witnessed for the May 3 election by the Australian Electoral Commission.