Wired for Sound, Bound by Roots: Reuben De Melo and Milan Ring headline this year’s “Gig on the Green”       

The Australian High Commission brought contemporary Australian music to life in New Delhi on 13 February 2026, with Australian artists of Indian heritage, Reuben De Melo and Milan Ring headlining the inaugural “Gig on the Green”. The relaxed evening showcased the dynamism, diversity and raw talent of Australia’s vibrant music scene.

Reuben De Melo, an indie-folk singer and songwriter, rose to national prominence after winning the thirteenth season of The Voice Australia in 2024. His soulful vocals and storytelling as he reflected on his Goan roots, captivated the audience under the Delhi sky.

Joining him was Milan Ring, a Sydney-based composer, performer and songwriter hailed by The Sydney Morning Herald as a leading figure in Australia’s “R&B renaissance.”

As part of their India tour, both artists also participated in India International Music Week 2026, a three-day global music conference and showcase festival in Mumbai. In New Delhi, the Australian artists held a jam session with the Gully Choir of the Manzil Mystics Foundation, further cementing Australian-Indian cultural ties.

(High Commissioner Philip Green with Australian artists of Indian heritage, Reuben De Melo and Milan Ring at Gig on the Green)

Minister Charlton’s visit strengthens Australia–India science and technology partnership     

Australia’s Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, the Hon Dr Andrew Charlton, MP visited New Delhi from 18-20 February 2026 to participate in the India AI Impact Summit. Minister Charlton delivered a speech on the importance of elevating the voice of workers as the adoption of AI gains pace, and promoted Australia as a partner of choice for investment in sustainable AI infrastructure and safe, inclusive AI innovation. The Assistant Minister discussed opportunities for cooperation with counterparts from India, the US, UK and Canada, and met with major technology companies to discuss investment in Australia’s AI ecosystem. At the AI Summit, the minister also launched the Australian Government pavilion which showcased Australian companies leading in innovation and strategic tech.

Assistant Minister Charlton’s visit coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund,  which has been supporting cutting-edge joint research since 2006. He met with the Indian Minister for Science and Technology the Hon Dr. Jitendra Singh, where the two Ministers reviewed the progress of the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund and welcomed the finalisation of five joint research projects under Round-16 of the programme. They also noted the potential for closer engagement between space agencies, research institutions and private enterprises across the full space value chain.

(Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, Hon Dr Andrew Charlton at the India AI Summit 2026)

Forging stronger Army ties    

India’s Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi concluded a successful four‑day visit to Australia from 16-19 February, engaging Australia’s senior defence leadership and injecting fresh momentum into our bilateral defence cooperation. Highlights included strategic discussions on joint exercises, interoperability, force modernisation, professional exchanges, and enhanced Army-to-Army collaboration. The visit marked a significant step forward in our shared commitment to advance regional peace and stability.

(Australian Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart AO DSC, recieves a gift from General Upendra Dwivedi, PVSM, AVSM Chief of Army Staff India, as part of a visit to Russell Offices, Canberra)

Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters opens in Delhi 

Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, the acclaimed Australian First Nations exhibition developed by the National Museum of Australia in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, was inaugurated in New Delhi on 21 November 2025 by Australian High Commissioner Phillip Green OAM, Mrs Kiran Nadar (Founder, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art), Ratish Nanda (CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture), and Dr Jilda Andrews (Deputy Director, First Nations, National Museum of Australia), in the presence of visiting First Nations Cultural Ambassadors, who performed ‘Inma’, a ceremonial expression of ancestral knowledge through song and dance.

Now open at the Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site Museum, the exhibition will be on display from 22 November 2025 to 1 March 2026, marking the first major Australian museum exhibition to tour India. Featuring nearly 300 artworks, song, dance and immersive multimedia, Songlines traces the epic Seven Sisters creation story and celebrates over 65,000 years of living Indigenous culture, grounded in Tjukurrpa (Aboriginal Law).

Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong and India’s Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, also visited the exhibition, highlighting the importance of cultural exchanges in strengthening people-to-people connections between our two countries.

(Australian First Nations exhibition 'Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters' at Delhi's Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site Museum)