Acknowledgements

In preparing this report I have drawn on analysis and contributions from a wide range of sources. I am particularly grateful to the reference groups in both Australia and India which provided high level perspectives on the themes of the report.

The membership of these two reference groups is listed at Appendix 2. They are people of deep experience who provided insightful comments on the key judgements. Any flaws in the judgements of the report are mine alone.

As we developed the report I had the benefit of advice from a Steering Committee of Commonwealth Agencies which provided expert perspectives on the sectoral papers. I am grateful to them for their wise contributions and for their forbearance as I finalised the recommendations. As an independent report to government, the recommendations are of course mine alone.

The report also draws on an extensive program of consultations in Australia and India and discussions with stakeholders in government, private sector, non-profit organisations and economic analysis provided by McKinsey & Company. To the McKinsey team in Australia and India, led by Tarandeep Ahuja and Sahil Shekhar, I express my thanks for their professionalism and support.

In addition I visited Singapore, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, United States and Canada to learn about how other countries were approaching India.

Taken together these consultations enabled me to draw out the views and perspectives of a wide range of people from the business community, state governments, industry groups, non-government organisations and the Indian diaspora in Australia.

In all we conducted 232 consultations in Australia and received 20 submissions. A full list of those consulted and those who made submissions is at Appendix 3.

I want to thank the many people in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the team at the Australian High Commission in New Delhi led by High Commissioner Harinder Sidhu, the Consulates-General in Mumbai and Chennai and the Austrade network in India, all of whom made valuable contributions to the report.

Above all I wish to thank the secretariat in DFAT, ably led by Clair McNamara and under the supervision of Paul Myler, which provided such wonderful support from the beginning to the end. I could not have asked for a more hard working or patient team. The membership of the secretariat is listed at Appendix 2.