Sri Lanka and Australia - close partners and friends

Since the first Australian High Commissioner arrived in Ceylon on 29 April 1947, the partnership between our two island nations has flourished. I was delighted to become the 17th High Commissioner to Sri Lanka in August last year during the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic ties.

While we are tied together by geography and history, the human bonds of family, education, business and of course – cricket! - are even stronger. Today we celebrate not only our enduring cooperation but especially the community links which are at the heart of our relationship.

There are now around 170,000 Australians of Sri Lankan descent who call Australia home – people who are contributing to the vibrant and diverse character of Australian society. It is a measure of Australia’s multiculturalism and ethnic diversity that 50 per cent of Australians were either born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas.

“An essential part of my daily life remains the traditional cup of tea but a glass of wine at the close of day is like the friendship between our countries, the older the better”, says Dilip Kumar, one of around 170 000 Australians of Sri Lankan descent contributing to the character and economy of modern Australia. Photo Credit: (Australian High Commission).

Cooperation in education is a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. Over 30 Australian education institutions have partnership arrangements with a Sri Lankan counterpart, while over 11,000 Sri Lankans are currently enrolled to study in Australia. Through the prestigious Australia Awards scholarship program, the best of Sri Lanka’s students have been able to take advantage of the education and lifestyle opportunities Australia offers, before they return home to Sri Lanka to contribute to a better society here.

The past twelve months have been extremely challenging for Sri Lanka but Australia remains a staunch friend, especially committed to those Sri Lankans experiencing severe hardship. In response to the economic crisis, the Australian Government quickly mobilized $75 million to help meet urgent needs across the country, especially focused on providing food security and health services for the most vulnerable people and communities.

This contribution builds on Australia’s many years of sustained investment in Sri Lanka’s growth and development. Through our development cooperation program Australia continues to promote inclusive growth, develop skills that Sri Lanka’s economy needs and create opportunities for small and medium businesses to prosper.

Other focus areas for bilateral cooperation include enhancing bilateral trade and investment, building a cleaner and more sustainable world, and combatting the scourges of people smuggling and other transnational crimes.

First Nations people were Australia’s first traders and diplomats, skills they honed over thousands of years. The Australian government is undertaking work to better acknowledge this and will appoint an Ambassador for First Nations People to lead embedding of Indigenous perspectives, experiences and interests into our foreign policy, including to help grow First Nations’ trade and investment.

A stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific

As two Indian Ocean island nations, Australia and Sri Lanka share the vision of a region which is peaceful, open, stable and prosperous - and where sovereignty is respected. Australia values Sri Lanka’s constructive efforts toward these goals and recognises Sri Lanka’s positive engagement in key regional bodies like the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the Indian Ocean Rim Association, which Sri Lanka will chair from November. We look forward to supporting Sri Lanka in this critical regional leadership role.

Having reached the milestone of the 75th anniversary of bilateral relations, Australia looks forward to what the future will bring. We are confident our friendship will only grow and deepen over the next 75 years.

The Sydney Opera house lit up for the annual Vivid Festival with Australian indigenous art work.

Cricket – a common ground

Australia and Sri Lanka share a mutual passion for cricket and a rivalry on the field that stretches back to 1930, when a young Don Bradman played his first match outside of Australia in Colombo.

The Australian team’s commitment to touring despite the challenging situation Sri Lanka was facing at the time is testament to the loyalty and kinship Australian cricketers feel for the Sri Lankan fans. Photo credit: Sri Lanka Cricket.

More recently, the Australian men’s cricket team toured Sri Lanka in June and July 2022, playing a series of fixtures in Colombo, Galle and Kandy. The Australian team’s commitment to touring despite the challenging situation Sri Lanka was facing at the time is testament to the loyalty and kinship Australian cricketers felt for the Sri Lankan people. Long-term Australian expatriate and owner of the Cricket Club Café in Colombo, Gabby Whight, attended the T20 match at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on 7 June 2022:

“The buzz and excitement with the ‘Papare Bands’ was exhilarating,” says Gabby. “You wouldn’t have believed the country was in the midst of financial turmoil. The Lankans put on a brilliant display of thanks and gratitude to us Aussies by all wearing yellow shirts. The welcoming friendly relationship between the two countries was truly on display. It was outstanding!”