New South Wales Premier Chris Minns will travel to India from 31 August to 3 September for his first official overseas mission as Premier, placing the growing relationship between NSW and India at the centre of a four-day program covering business, investment, education, technology and cultural connections.
Mr Minns will be accompanied by NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, with the delegation scheduled to visit New Delhi and Mumbai. The mission will include meetings with government and business representatives, alongside community and cultural engagements aimed at strengthening connections between NSW and one of its increasingly important international partners.
The economic relationship provides a major backdrop to the visit. NSW and India recorded $6.87 billion in two-way goods trade during 2024–25, making India one of the state’s significant trading partners. The NSW Government sees further potential for local companies to expand into the Indian market while attracting investment and commercial opportunities back into the state.
The delegation will explore opportunities across a range of industries, including agrifood, clean energy, critical minerals, technology, advanced industries, tourism, education, research and innovation. The focus reflects NSW efforts to diversify export markets and help businesses gain a stronger foothold in economies with long-term growth potential.
Education and tourism will also feature prominently. More than 28,000 Indian students are currently studying in NSW, while 174,000 Indian visitors travelled to the state in the year to March 2026. Those visitors spent approximately $600 million and recorded around 8.5 million nights, highlighting the breadth of people-to-people links between the two regions.
The visit comes shortly after the NSW Government launched its India Business Literacy Program, aimed at helping local exporters understand the Indian market and develop the networks and knowledge required to pursue commercial opportunities. The initial focus includes agrifood and clean energy, two sectors identified as having strong potential for greater engagement with India.
The Mumbai leg will also provide an opportunity to build on the established sister-state relationship between NSW and Maharashtra. Mumbai is one of India’s leading economic centres, making the city a significant destination for discussions around investment, business partnerships, education, technology and institutional cooperation between the two regions.
For the Indian Australian community in NSW, the mission carries significance beyond commercial interests. Mr Minns announced the visit at an event marking India’s 80th Independence Day in Sydney and highlighted the contribution of people of Indian background to communities across the state. The government has framed the relationship as extending across economic, educational, cultural and community connections.
The Premier has said choosing India for his first official overseas visit reflects the importance of the relationship and the contribution of the Indian community to NSW. Treasurer Mookhey is expected to continue the India program in Bengaluru after the Premier leaves for Nepal, with the additional stop maintaining the delegation’s focus on trade, investment and technology.
The four-day mission comes at a time when NSW is seeking stronger international partnerships and greater access to emerging markets. For India, it offers another avenue to deepen engagement with Australia’s largest state economy. The outcomes of the meetings in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru could help determine how effectively existing links translate into new business, investment, education and community opportunities in the years ahead.
