India-Australia Energy Cooperation: The Road Ahead

摘要

There is indeed a 'structural complementarity' between the rising demands of the Indian economy and supplies from 'Down Under'. This is particularly true in the case of energy cooperation. Energy has been one of the most prominent, and of late a contentious factor in India-Australia bilateral relations. The supply of uranium, the Exergen issue and former Prime Minister Rudd's proposed Super Profit Tax are cases in point.18 It goes without saying that the road to bilateral energy commerce has been rough at times and the thorny issues need to be resolved if India and Australia are to reach new heights of cooperation. For instance, Australia has to make sure that domestic factors do not unduly affect the ongoing energy commerce with India. Australia's energy partnership with China, for example, is almost de-hyphenated from the domestic electoral issues.