Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has told the Indian prime minister that Australia takes the safety of Indian students very seriously.
Mr Smith, in India for a goodwill visit, said he and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also talked about deeper education and science and technology links in line with booming trade and economic ties.
He said he repeated Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's invitation for Dr Singh to visit Australia.
"I assured Prime Minister Singh that the Australian government was taking the issue of Indian student safety seriously," he said in a statement.
"Prime Minister Singh said he appreciated the Australian government's efforts to address this issue."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Mr Smith said he also met with the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, and briefed him on the steps the Australian government was taking to ensure a safe and rewarding study experience for Indian students.
That included recent changes to Australia's skilled migration program, he said.
"We discussed our joint desire to conclude a bilateral social security agreement, which will facilitate greater people to people links."
In his meeting with Dr Singh, Mr Smith said he welcomed the rapid increase in trade and economic relations with a more than 50 per cent rise in bilateral trade in the past year alone.
He said Dr Singh noted the strong presence of Indian IT companies in Australia and encouraged greater Australian investment in India.
"We both recognised the importance of people to people links, and the role and contribution of the Indian community in Australia to strengthening the bilateral relationship," he said.
Mr Smith said he thanked Dr Singh for the support and co-operation Australian authorities had received in relation to India's security arrangements and preparations for high level sporting events in India.
