Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese sealed a series of pacts across defence, maritime security, energy and critical minerals during Modi's visit to Melbourne for the third annual India-Australia Summit on Thursday. The two sides finalised the administrative arrangement to operationalise the 2014 Civil Nuclear Agreement, enabling the supply of Australian uranium to India for peaceful purposes.

On trade, India and Australia decided to fast-track the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), described as balanced, ambitious and mutually beneficial, and to accelerate the Bilateral Investment Treaty. This builds on the existing India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), with both sides emphasising the need to dismantle non-tariff barriers further.

The two leaders issued a Joint Declaration on defence and security cooperation. They announced the India-Australia Defence Innovation Corridor to connect defence start-ups and industries, and a Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap, and agreed to cooperate on shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance.

Modi and Albanese also launched the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains (PACTS). To support India's domestic renewable energy push, a joint Rooftop Solar Training Academy will be established in Gujarat to build technical capacity among women and youth under the PM Surya Ghar Yojana.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based order and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and opposed destabilising or unilateral actions to change the status quo. Modi also reiterated India's stance against cross-border terrorism, calling it a shared challenge for the two countries.