Received

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to welcome his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to Admiralty House ahead of official talks after the pair enjoyed a rockstar welcome at a stadium event at Sydney Olympic Park.

Mr Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will meet with Mr Modi at Kirribilli ahead of bilateral talks on Wednesday morning.

The prime ministers are expected to discuss trade, defence and renewable energy as both nations seek to strengthen relations.

Business leaders and delegates will also meet with Mr Modi during his first visit to Australia in 10 years and the two prime ministers' sixth meeting in 12 months.

But the Australian government is being pushed to take a more hardline approach towards India's reluctance to openly criticise Russia for invading Ukraine as well as human rights abuses.

Mr Albanese said Mr Modi was certainly a popular prime minister but didn't please everyone as "it's a democracy".

"Australia always stands up for human rights, anywhere in the world," he told ABC TV.

But he wouldn't confirm whether the issue would be raised, saying he engaged with world leaders one-on-one and would not leak messages.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia maintained a consistent approach to human rights and democratic principles and "we articulate that appropriately with friends and partners and we'll continue to do that."

She said India was an important strategic relationship for Australia as both democratic nations were pushing for a strong and stable Indo-Pacific region.

But Senator Wong added she wouldn't pre-empt what would be discussed during the bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers as Mr Modi pushes to have alternative Indian medicine accessible through Medicare.

The foreign minister was also pressed on whether Australia would bring up India's ties with the Kremlin and import of Russian arms.

New Delhi has also drawn criticism for not expressly condemning Russia for its invasion.

Senator Wong said Mr Modi's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend where he signalled support for the nation's sovereignty sent an important message.

"I thought that was a very important meeting and sent a very important signal about the opposition to Russia's illegal and immoral war against Ukraine," she told Sky News.

Mr Albanese added that "India is responsible for its own international relations," referring to India's history of non-alignment.

"India is a great supporter of peace and security and stability in our region," he said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham will also meet the Indian prime minister.

Pressed on what issues he would raise, Senator Birmingham said he wanted to see an expansion of the free trade agreement and a boost to economic and defence ties.

On human rights, he said Australia "should always be consistent and predictable when it comes to where and to how we apply our values in the world".

Senator Birmingham said while Australia couldn't control what happens in other nations, the government needed to convey how it thought democratic principles should be upheld.

He said he would try and raise India's support for Ukraine during what he expected to be a relatively short meeting with "many topics on the list to encourage in terms of our bilateral relations".

© AAP 2023

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the finalisation of a new migration pact with India as he hosts his counterpart Narendra Modi for bilateral talks.

Australia is working to boost economic and security ties with India as well as work to accelerate the transition to clean energy after a new pact was signed with the Quad, which also includes the United States and Japan.

But the government is being pushed to take a more hardline approach towards Mr Modi's reluctance to openly criticise Russia for invading Ukraine as well as human rights abuses.

Mr Albanese welcomed Mr Modi to Admiralty House, where he was also greeted by Governor-General David Hurley ahead of bilateral talks.

Business leaders and delegates are also on the Indian prime minister's schedule during his first visit to Australia in 10 years and the two prime ministers' sixth meeting in 12 months.

Mr Albanese said it was wonderful to have hosted Mr Modi at a rockstar stadium reception at Sydney's Olympic Park on Tuesday night.

"The (Indian) community here are a very important part of our vibrant multicultural democracy," he said during his opening remarks ahead of he bilateral meeting.

"I'm looking forward to returning to India in just a few months for the G20 meeting."

In earlier media interviews, Mr Albanese was pushed on whether he would raise human rights concerns and freedom of speech crackdowns in India that have been raised by advocacy groups and the diaspora in Australia.

Mr Albanese said Mr Modi was certainly a popular prime minister but didn't please everyone as "it's a democracy".

"Australia always stands up for human rights ... anywhere in the world," he told ABC TV.

But he wouldn't confirm whether the issue would be raised, saying he engaged with world leaders one-on-one and would not leak messages.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia maintained a consistent approach to human rights and democratic principles and "we articulate that appropriately with friends and partners and we'll continue to do that".

She said India was an important strategic relationship for Australia as both democratic nations were pushing for a strong and stable Indo-Pacific region.

But Senator Wong wouldn't pre-empt what would be discussed during the bilateral meeting, as Mr Modi pushes to have alternative Indian medicine accessible through Medicare.

The foreign minister was also pressed on whether Australia would bring up India's ties with the Kremlin and import of Russian arms.

New Delhi has also drawn criticism for not expressly condemning Russia for its invasion.

Senator Wong said Mr Modi's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over the weekend, where he signalled support for the nation's sovereignty, sent an important message.

"I thought that was a very important meeting and sent a very important signal about the opposition to Russia's illegal and immoral war against Ukraine," she told Sky News.

Mr Albanese added that "India is responsible for its own international relations," referring to India's history of non-alignment.

"India is a great supporter of peace and security and stability in our region," he said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham will also meet the Indian prime minister.

Pressed on what issues he would raise, Senator Birmingham said he wanted to see an expansion of the free trade agreement and a boost to economic and defence ties.

On human rights, he said Australia "should always be consistent and predictable when it comes to where and to how we apply our values in the world".

Senator Birmingham said while Australia couldn't control what happens in other nations, the government needed to convey how it thought democratic principles should be upheld.

He said he would seek to raise India's support for Ukraine during what he expected to be a relatively short meeting with "many topics on the list".

© AAP 2023

The final version of the question set to be put to the public at the referendum on the Indigenous voice will be back up for debate in federal parliament.

MPs face another late-night session of parliament on Wednesday as talks on the Indigenous voice continue.

Parliament is set to vote on the final wording of the referendum question along with the changes to the constitution should the proposal succeed.

It comes as Indigenous issues go under the spotlight at Senate estimates, where questions surrounding the voice will feature on Wednesday.

Estimates hearings on Tuesday heard referendum rules might lead to a one-sided information pamphlet being sent to households.

Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers told the hearing the AEC needed to receive essays outlining the case for either 'yes' or 'no' on time and within the legal framework, otherwise, they would be rejected.

"It might mean that we're distributing a booklet with only one case," he said.

"Whatever parliamentary processes put in place by the 'yes' and the 'no' groups that are formed, it will be very critical to make sure that we get all of that material on time."

The commissioner said he was concerned about the "unpredictable information environment" in the lead-up to the referendum.

"The information ecosystem was entirely different at the time of the last referendum, with no social media," he said.

"We're already seeing an increase in disinformation on social media and a regrettable increase in threatening commentary."

Peter Dutton has been accused by Greens leader Adam Bandt of using race to divide the country ahead of the voice referendum.

"The leader of the opposition has taken this opportunity to divide instead of unite, to continue a long tradition of seeking to use race to win votes," Mr Bandt told parliament.

Mr Dutton said the Indigenous voice to parliament would take the country backward, labelling it Orwellian and a reckless roll of the dice.

The lower house isn't expected to vote on the voice bill until next week when the debate will shift to the Senate.

The bill is expected to be finalised in June ahead of the referendum, which will be held between October and December.

© AAP 2023