The Australian Prime Minister John Howard is visiting India to enhance its economic and technological ties. From India’s standpoint, on top of the list is import of nuclear fuel from Australia, which holds about 40% of the world’s uranium in its Olympic mines in the South. Howard has been vocal opponent to exporting fuel to India saying that his country has a long-standing policy of not exporting nuclear fuel to non-NPT signatory states. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to remind Australia that of the three non-NPT signatory nations—India, Pakistan, and Israel, only India has a civilian program and has not proliferated its indigenous technology (Israel has no civil nuclear program and Pakistan is an acknowledged proliferator). Australia ranted and raved over India’s May 1998 nuclear tests and threatened to cut off its ties but quietly tucked tail when it saw the US continuing to engage India actively in all spheres including defense. Many commentators have repeatedly said that Australia has three major mental blocks—obsession with the NPT, obsession with China, and inability to separate India and Pakistan in its strategic calculations. This is despite India’s overtly supportive endorsement of Australia in many international forums including the East Asian summit and China’s opposition. However, with bilateral trade at USD 10 billion a year, a luring tornado Indian economy, and increasing world engagement and investment in India, Australia cannot afford to stay away. Howard is known to be a practical man who is capable of making 180-degree changes to his country’s policy.