The objective of the Council's public awareness program is to increase
awareness and understanding between the peoples and institutions of Australia
and India. The program has served generally to broaden the reach of the
Council's activities.

The key element of the program during 1998-99, as during the preceding two
years, was the Australia-India Focus newsletter, jointly funded by the
AIC, the Australia-India Business Council (AIBC) and Austrade, and published
by the AIBC for distribution in both Australia and India. In the light of the
continuing positive public response to Australia-India Focus, particularly as
indicated by a reader survey carried out by the AIBC, the Council agreed to
contribute to the costs of a third year of publication of the newsletter.
(Subscription details for Australia-India Focus-for which there is no
cost-are at page 31).

The Council also provided funding to enable Australia-India Focus Editor Mr Christopher Snedden to visit India in February 1999 to report on the
visit of Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, the Australia-India
Joint Business Council meeting and other bilateral meetings in a special issue
of the newsletter.