Australia, Like the Rest of the World, Is Watching the Rise of Authoritarianism in India The Australian government is soft-pedalling this issue, but some legislators and citizens are speaking up. Police barricades at the site of the farmers' protest at Ghazipur near the Delhi border. Photo: PTI World28/Jan/2021 For now, Australia’s official line on India and China hides a contradiction: while successive Australian governments have critiqued China’s human rights abuses, the âofficial lineâ from the Morrison government is mute about the growing authoritarianism and erosion of democracy in India. Australian government minister Simon Birmingham on an official trade mission to Delhi last year touted Indiaâs rule of law as one of the nation’s strengths. These comments were made within days of the shocking attacks on the Delhi Muslim community. Birmingham stated that âthe violence is a matter for Indiaâ, adding that âAustralia continues to think that one of the things most valuable about India has been tolerance … to religious diversityâ.