Australia, New Zealand & India - A Powerful Triangle in an Uncertain World

Singapore-based international business leader A. Selvadurai Hallman believes Australia, New Zealand and India can become one of the world’s most important economic partnerships at a time of global instability. In a conversation on the future of trade, investment and migration, he argued that Australia and New Zealand provide security and critical resources, India provides scale and talent, and Singapore can serve as the trusted bridge connecting all three.

Interviewer Thank you for joining us from Singapore. You have described the current global environment as deeply uncertain. Why does this matter for businesses and families today?

A. Selvadurai Hallman We are living through a period of major global uncertainty. There is war in Europe, tension in the Middle East, decoupling between the United States and China, supply-chain disruption, inflation and climate pressures. Every businessman and every family is asking the same question. Where is safe? Where is stable? Where can I build for the next 20 years?

Interviewer And what is your answer to that question?

A. Selvadurai Hallman My simple thesis is that Australia and New Zealand are countries with enormous potential, and they are safe places to live, raise a family and do business, especially during global uncertainty. At the same time, India today, under a government that is pro-business and pro-growth, has a great deal to offer Australia and New Zealand. And the reverse is also true. Australia and New Zealand have much to offer India. Singapore can be the bridge.

Mr Hallman drew on more than 50 years of business experience, including his work with a German steel group and his business connections across Europe, Singapore, India and Australia. His argument was not that one country should replace another, but that each brings a different and complementary strength to the relationship.

Interviewer Let us begin with Australia. What makes it so attractive in this uncertain world?

A. Selvadurai Hallman Australia is blessed. It is a continent-sized country with only about 27 million people, and it has many of the things the world will need for the next 50 years.

First, there are resources and critical minerals. The world is moving toward electric vehicles, batteries and semiconductors. Australia has lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths. This is not simply mining. It is strategic power for the future.

Second, Australia has food security. It is one of the few countries in the world that is a net exporter of food on a massive scale. In a world worried about food shortages, that is priceless.

Third, there is education and human capital. Australian universities are world-class and attract some of the best students from Asia, including India.

Fourth, there is stability. Australia has the rule of law, a British common-law system, transparent institutions, a strong currency and a strong passport. When there is turmoil elsewhere, Australia remains calm.

Interviewer You mentioned friends who moved to Australia during COVID-19. What did they tell you?

A. Selvadurai Hallman Many of them told me, “Selva, we sleep peacefully here.” For an Indian entrepreneur or a Singapore family office, Australia offers a safe second home, a safe base and a safe investment destination. It is not cheap, but it is safe. In today’s world, safety has a premium.

His comments reflected a broader view among investors that political stability, legal certainty and quality of life have become increasingly valuable assets, particularly for families and companies planning across generations rather than quarters.

Interviewer What about New Zealand? It is much smaller than Australia. Does size limit its role?

A. Selvadurai Hallman New Zealand is smaller, but do not underestimate it. It may be one of the most peaceful countries in the world. If you look at peace indexes, it is usually in the top two or three. In a world of global uncertainty, that peace is a huge asset.

New Zealand has extraordinary strengths in agri-tech and dairy. It feeds the world. The efficiency of New Zealand dairy, horticulture and agricultural technology is second to none. India, with its need to double farmer incomes and improve food processing, can learn a great deal from New Zealand.

It is also strong in green energy and sustainability. Around 80 to 85 per cent of New Zealand’s electricity comes from renewable sources, including hydro, geothermal and wind. For India, which is pushing hard for a green transition, and for the world, which needs practical green models, New Zealand is a living laboratory.

Interviewer You also emphasise trust. Why is that so important?

A. Selvadurai Hallman New Zealand consistently ranks as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Business is often done on a handshake. For Indian companies looking for joint ventures where trust matters, New Zealand is ideal.

Like Australia, it offers a wonderful lifestyle, clean air and good education for children. For high-net-worth families from India and Singapore thinking about global diversification, New Zealand is a safe harbour.

Mr Hallman presented New Zealand not merely as a lifestyle destination, but as a credible partner for agricultural innovation, renewable energy and long-term joint ventures. His central point was that trust has become a form of economic infrastructure.

Interviewer Now let us turn to India. You have known the country for more than 50 years. How has it changed?

A. Selvadurai Hallman I have known India for over 50 years. I knew the India of the 1970s, the India of the Licence Raj. And I know the India of today. It is a completely different country.

The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been distinctly pro-business and pro-growth. You may agree or disagree with the politics, but from a businessman’s perspective, the reforms are clear.

GST created one nation and one tax. That alone changed the logistics and manufacturing landscape of India. Before, moving a truck from Chennai to Delhi could involve many checkpoints. Today, it is far more seamless.

Make in India and the Production Linked Incentive schemes are attracting manufacturing in electronics, semiconductors, solar, automobiles and pharmaceuticals. India is seriously working to attract manufacturing that might otherwise remain concentrated in China.

Digital India has also been remarkable. UPI, Aadhaar and ONDC have created world-leading public digital infrastructure. In India, I can send money in five seconds, free of cost. You cannot always do that even in America or Australia.

Interviewer What other changes stand out to you?

A. Selvadurai Hallman Infrastructure is changing rapidly. India is building roads, ports, airports and dedicated freight corridors at a much faster pace than a decade ago. Startup India has produced more than 100 unicorns. The entrepreneurial energy of young Indians is incredible.

India offers three things to Australia and New Zealand. It offers scale, with 1.45 billion people and an economy moving from around US$4 trillion toward US$7 trillion or US$8 trillion in the years ahead. It offers talent, including engineers, doctors and IT professionals. And it offers innovation at low cost. India can often achieve for US$1 million what others may need US$10 million to accomplish.

Look at Chandrayaan. India achieved a lunar mission at a cost lower than many Hollywood films. During COVID-19, India also showed its strength in vaccine production. India is not just a market to sell to. India is a partner to build with.

Mr Hallman’s assessment placed India’s transformation in practical business terms. Rather than focusing only on headline growth figures, he highlighted reforms, digital public infrastructure, manufacturing incentives and entrepreneurial capacity as the foundations of India’s global relevance.

Interviewer You describe this as a complementary relationship. What exactly can Australia and New Zealand offer India?

A. Selvadurai Hallman Australia and New Zealand can offer India critical minerals for its electric vehicle and semiconductor ambitions. They can offer agri-tech to help double Indian farm productivity. They can offer clean-energy technology, including hydrogen, wind and carbon farming. They can offer education and joint research, building on the thousands of Indian students already studying in both countries. And they can offer safe food, including dairy, wine and fruit, for India’s growing middle class.

Interviewer And what does India offer in return?

A. Selvadurai Hallman India offers a huge market for Australian and New Zealand goods and services. It offers IT and digital solutions. Indian IT companies already run systems for Australian banks. It offers affordable pharmaceuticals. It offers a manufacturing base where Australian and New Zealand companies can produce at lower cost and sell globally. And it offers young, English-speaking, hardworking talent.

It is a perfect complement. One side has resources, technology and safety. The other has scale, talent and growth. Together, they are stronger.

Interviewer Where does Singapore fit into this triangle?

A. Selvadurai Hallman From Singapore, we see ourselves as the bridge. Singapore has the trust of both sides. We have an English common-law legal system, like Australia, New Zealand and India. We have double tax treaties with all three countries. We have financial capital, arbitration services and connectivity. Changi Airport flies directly to major cities in Australia, New Zealand and India.

Many Indian companies use Singapore as a headquarters to invest in Australia. Many Australian superannuation funds use Singapore to invest in India. Hallman Group, my own organisation, has always tried to be that bridge, connecting European technology, Singapore capital, Indian talent and Australian resources.

Mr Hallman positioned Singapore less as a competitor to Australia, New Zealand or India, and more as a neutral platform where capital, legal certainty and regional networks meet. In his view, Singapore’s value lies in reducing friction between markets that already have strong reasons to cooperate.

Interviewer What is your final message to families and businesses watching global events with concern?

A. Selvadurai Hallman My message is simple. If you are a family, think of Australia and New Zealand as safe places to live and educate your children during global uncertainty. If you are a business, think of India as a growth engine, under a government that wants to work with the world. And if you want to connect both, come to Singapore. Let us talk.

I have lived through the Cold War, the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2008 crisis and COVID-19. I have learned one lesson. In uncertain times, you go where there is trust, where there is rule of law and where there is long-term thinking.

Australia, New Zealand and India are three democracies and three friends. Together, they offer exactly that.

Interviewer A. Selvadurai Hallman, thank you for your time.

A. Selvadurai Hallman Thank you.

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