Barry O’Farrell is in the last month of his tenure as Australia’s High Commissioner to India. In Bengaluru for interactions with the new Karnataka Government and the Australian businesses in the city, O’Farrell said ties between India and Australia in diverse sectors—from defence to technology to critical minerals—were deepening with the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), signed in 2022. Speaking with DH’s R Krishnakumar, he underlined the geographical and economic contexts that made the two countries “natural partners”. The High Commissioner also spoke about lessons from Covid, the importance of engaging with state governments, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy trumping...