It doesn't take much to appease the booming Indian diaspora in Australia. Hosting a rockstar reception for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, posting social media receipts of cooking curry and listening to Badshah, and sometimes wishing the Indian migrant community a happy Diwali or Eid makes the cut. 

An otherwise exceptionally politically engaged community, my conversations with Indian migrants in Australia have made me realise that we settle for much less in our demands from politicians and decision-makers here.

When Modi arrived in Australia a couple of months ago, Indians turned up in large numbers. It served as a reminder that the political fervour enjoyed by Indians is well and alive. 

But this enthusiasm and the ability to discern leaders' different political and personal agendas is sometimes missing from Indian Australians when it comes to Australian politics. 

While some of this can be attributed to a model minority mindset and gratitude for being given opportunities in Australia, a significant factor is the lack of access and representation. The doors of Parliament remain closed for people who look like us, making it challenging to engage and become involved. For the longest time, under the White Australia Policy, Indians couldn't even step foot in Australia. 

Both in the 2022 Federal and Victorian state elections, I could not help but notice posters of Indian candidates from the Liberal Party plastered over my Indian store. At the state level, most of these candidates were contesting elections from seats like Cranbourne or Tarneit. South Asian candidates, in general, were twice as many as those from the Victorian Labor Party. 

There is an increasingly widespread belief that the far right performs better at minority representation and visibility than the left. Even Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party, which has never shied away from making its contempt for migrants and people of colour clear, had an Indian candidate in the 2022 Federal Election.

Ironically, none of them made it to power. We currently have more people of Indian or South Asian origin in the Federal, Victorian and NSW parliaments from the Labor Party and the Greens than we ever did under the Coalition.

So, are seats with large Indian or South Asian populations also not voting in favour of people who look like or come from similar cultural backgrounds as them? Or is the swing towards the left so substantial it transcends identity lines altogether?

Associate Professor and researcher Dr Sukhmani Khurana says that it is essential to distinguish whether people from culturally diverse backgrounds are propped up in seats that are winnable in the first place. Secondly, Indian-Australians and, more broadly, multicultural communities are not monoliths that only care about seeing people like them in positions of power. 

In her opinion piece for ABC, Dr Khurana pointed towards the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace research that showed Indian Australians prioritised party policies on key issues such as healthcare, environment, climate change and the economy, followed by housing in the 2022 federal election. 

While concerns around racism and relations between Australia and India didn't fare very high, the party's position on climate change and treatment of minorities and Indigenous Australians were top reasons why those surveyed felt they didn't identify with the Coalition.

The latest research on voting patterns for Australians shows that, amongst 18- to 34-year-olds, Labor receives roughly 40% support, the Greens 30% and the Coalition 20%. The Carnegie research showed that Indian Australians in that age group replicate this trend, with 39% of 18 to 29-year-olds voting Labor as their first preference, 28% 'other' and 23% Coalition.

Because the Indian Australian diaspora is relatively young, like the rest of younger Australians, it tends to lean left and is affected more deeply by and consequently cares more for issues like climate change, the economy and housing.

However, there is a lack of recognition of the diverse experiences of multicultural Australians by political parties and the media, resulting in inadequate representation and a refusal to share power with marginal groups. 

It is worth assessing how much has changed after the pandemic and the Labor wave in the country. Can Indian Australians expect modern-day examples of allegedly explicit racism, such as the India travel ban, to not occur under the new Labor Government and the fast-developing allyship between India and Australia within the context of the QUAD?

This year alone, we've had the most diplomatic engagement between India and Australia I have ever seen. Education Minister Jason Clare was in New Delhi to announce university deals and pathways to better recognise the qualifications of skilled migrants in both countries. This was followed by Prime Minister Albanese's grand visit to India and Prime Minister Modi's visit to Australia, where similar announcements were made. Opposition leader Peter Dutton too visited India recently in an attempt to "strengthen bilateral ties".

These big promises ring hollow when, on the other hand, students hailing from specific Indian states are being banned from universities, and there has been no political will to intervene. This ban reeks of modern-day racism and xenophobia. 

If some students come to Australia under false pretences, exploit their student visas to work, and overstay their welcome, shouldn't universities use a more rigorous system to vet all applicants? If universities care about their reputation, is there a way to put stricter standards for admission in place?

But that would close doors to a lot of other international students, including those from the rest of the Indian states as well, who bring in the cash by paying twice as much the course fee as domestic students pay, working low-paid jobs that no one else will fill and of course, pose happily as token diversity in university brochures.

Instead of letting politicians get away with grabbing headlines for announcing one new pact after another, or symbolic gestures like visiting Indian restaurants for photo ops or visiting places of worship around the election season, it is time Indians demand better and genuine reform for the community.

It could start with new Indian Australians calling on politicians for genuine migration reform that ensures South Asian communities don't get exploited by employers and universities for profits. 

Even the most highly qualified and skilled Indians and Asian expats continue having to jump through multiple hoops to get residency and equal opportunities at work, while migrants from Western countries waltz in.

High interest rates, rising costs of living, and inflation hit new migrants harder than those from generational privilege. It is imperative that the community collectively call for socio-economic policies that deliver equal benefits to the broader Australian population. 

The Indian Australian diaspora, now gaining increasing favour with politicians, has a chance to unite in their call to improve opportunities and work conditions for all people of colour and migrants.

Holding political parties and leaders accountable and ensuring they go beyond lip service is essential for creating a more inclusive and just society for not only Indian Australians but all Australians.

Dishi Gahlowt is a marketing and communications professional who works for progressive organisations with high social impact. You can find her on LinkedIn.