Representatives of Indian companies in Australia have urged Canberra to ensure priority processing of visas for business executives and provide a level playing field.

"There should be priority processing of visas for business executives and Indian companies should be put on equal footing for government opportunities such as in electronic commerce," Anil Verma, convenor of Forum of Indian IT companies in Australia, said at a special interactive session between Australian Federal Parliamentarians and representative of Indian companies in Sydney.

With India being the largest and one of the most diverse democracies and Australia, a smaller, middle-level developed economy, there is symmetry between the two and scope for cooperation in wide range of areas, Bruce Baird, MP and chairman of the Australia-India Parliamentary Group said.

Jagdish Acharya, Regional Head of South Pacific Operations, Apco Coatings said, "We have common synergies in material supply chains. There is plenty of scope for mutual exchange in the construction industry, particularly raw materials between the two countries."

Apco, a significant player in Austral-Asian markets, has two manufacturing units for paints in Townsville and Brisbane.

Duncan Kerr, MP from Denison in Tasmania said there have always been small groups of India enthusiasts, but the bilateral connections have not been so strong.

"In the mid 1990s there was a momentum towards building stronger trade relations with India, which was being recognised as a large economy with opportunities," he said.

However, under the present John Howard government, much of that energy has drained out and the focus is on traditional relationships, he lamented.

"It is unfortunate that India is seen as a backward country despite being the heart of technology and a paradise for tourism," Kerr said.

The participants at the meeting emphasised the enormous potential between the two countries and given the fact that both are English-speaking countries in the Asia-Pacific region with similar rule of law and banking, the bilateral ties should be stronger.

Indian High Commissioner to Australia R S Rathore said the Australia-India Friendship Group of the Federal Parliament of Australia had not been very active in the past.

"This forum will provide a broader view of what India is and expose Indian businesses to Australian parliamentarians," he said.

The ministerial visits to New Delhi and Canberra in the past years have given a fresh momentum to exploring economic, regional and strategic partnerships between the two countries.

The bilateral trade between India and Australia was A$3.42 billion during 2002. While this showed a rise of 5.8 per cent compared to 2001, India's share of Australia's total exports is only 2.1 per cent and total import is a bare 0.7 per cent.