India's flag was raised outside India for the first time in Canberra, in 1947. Today the city is a capital of public servants, with a large Indian-born community and a clock that runs ahead of yours.
Trade 1
Government and defence
The Commonwealth's departments and the defence establishment employ more Canberrans than any other trade.
Trade 2
Computer systems and IT services
Computer system design ranks just behind government and defence among the ACT's employing industries.
For India-based IT and services firms, admissions teams and diaspora-facing businesses with people in Canberra: what links India and the ACT, when a message from India lands on Canberra's clock, which template languages fit the city, and what each message costs in rupees.
See it work
From a flag raised at India House to the morning the ACT's clocks go forward. Scrub through the dates that shape how an Indian business talks to the capital.
Most of this line is diplomacy, but the last two dates are operational. Twice a year Canberra's clock moves and India's does not, so a broadcast scheduled in IST lands an hour earlier or later in the ACT than it did the week before.
Schedule sends to Canberra by Canberra time and the platform keeps the hour right through both switches. The Australia guide covers the three time zones across the rest of the country.
4 Apr 2027Coming upEvent 8 of 8
Back to AEST
Clocks go back at 3 a.m.; the gap to IST returns to four and a half hours.
Event 8 of 8: 4 Apr 2027 — Back to AEST (coming up). Clocks go back at 3 a.m.; the gap to IST returns to four and a half hours.
A small territory with an unusual workforce and a large Indian-born community, from the 2021 Census and the High Commission's own figures.
The ACT counted 454,499 people at the 2021 Census. After Australia, India was the most common country of birth, with 17,203 people or 3.8% of residents.[1]
Central government administration employed 17.1% of working residents and defence another 5.8%; computer system design and related services came next at 3.6%.[1]
Punjabi (5,019 people) and Hindi (4,769) were among the five languages most used at home after English, as was Nepali (5,859).[1]
The High Commission of India puts the Indian diaspora in the ACT at 24,800, and 110,662 Indian students were in Australia as of May 2026.[2]
India–Australia trade in goods and services was A$50.21 billion in 2025, down from A$53.06 billion in 2024, with India Australia's fifth-largest trading partner.[2]
The High Commission of India moved from Yarralumla to 15 Tench Street, Kingston ACT 2604, from 21 May 2026. India also has Consulates General in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.[3]
The readers this page is for, and the first messages each sends to a +61 number in the capital.
Computer system design comes third among the ACT's employing industries in the 2021 Census. An Indian delivery team working with Canberra clients keeps project contacts informed across the time gap.[1]
With more than 110,000 Indian students in Australia, counsellors in India answer applicants and families on both sides of the gap.[2]
An Indian-born community of over 17,000 in the ACT keeps accounts, homes and travel plans in India.[1]
ECTA has been in force since 29 December 2022, and trade with Australia runs to tens of billions of dollars a year.[2]
English carries most messages; the ACT's Indian community adds two more. Each language version is approved by Meta separately.
Nepali is spoken at home by more ACT residents than Hindi or Punjabi, but it is not on Meta's list of template languages. Send those customers an English template; once they reply, agents can answer in Nepali inside the 24-hour window.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| English (AUS) | en_AU | Clients, agencies, universities and most retail updates |
| Punjabi | pa | Diaspora banking, property and family travel |
| Hindi | hi | Families and students who prefer it to English |
Prices in ₹ and AUD
Australian numbers fall in Meta's Rest of Asia Pacific market: ₹7.41 for marketing, ₹0.9938 for utility, ₹0.9938 for authentication and ₹0.9938 for a service reply, in rupees before GST. Plans start at ₹999 a month.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ $15.05 AUD
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ $12.55 AUD
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ $45.19 AUD
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ $37.66 AUD
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Canberra · Rest of Asia Pacific (regional rate)
| Category | ₹ INR | AUD |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹7.4057 | $0.112 |
| Utility | ₹0.9938 | $0.0150 |
| Authentication | ₹0.9938 | $0.0150 |
| Service | ₹0.9938 | $0.0150 |
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | $0.0819₹5.4352 | $0.0345₹2.2874 | $0.0345₹2.2874 | $0.0345₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | $0.0970₹6.4397 | $0.0049₹0.3254 | $0.0049₹0.3254 | $0.0049₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | $0.0828₹5.4970 | $0.0090₹0.5981 | $0.0090₹0.5981 | $0.0090₹0.5981 |
| Chile | $0.118₹7.8162 | $0.0265₹1.7585 | $0.0265₹1.7585 | $0.0265₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | $0.0166₹1.0993 | $0.0011₹0.0706 | $0.0011₹0.0706 | $0.0011₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | $0.0853₹5.6629 | $0.0048₹0.3167 | $0.0048₹0.3167 | $0.0048₹0.3167 |
| France | $0.114₹7.5588 | $0.0398₹2.6393 | $0.0398₹2.6393 | $0.0398₹2.6393 |
| Germany | $0.181₹12.0088 | $0.0729₹4.8386 | $0.0729₹4.8386 | $0.0729₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | $0.0970₹6.4397 | $0.0345₹2.2867 | $0.0345₹2.2867 | $0.0345₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | $0.114₹7.5596 | $0.0463₹3.0700 | $0.0463₹3.0700 | $0.0463₹3.0700 |
| India | $0.0142₹0.9435 | $0.0029₹0.1941 | $0.0021₹0.1402 | $0.0022₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | $0.0545₹3.6133 | $0.0331₹2.1979 | $0.0331₹2.1979 | $0.0331₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | $0.0452₹2.9992 | $0.0105₹0.6943 | $0.0105₹0.6943 | $0.0105₹0.6943 |
| Israel | $0.0468₹3.1045 | $0.0070₹0.4662 | $0.0070₹0.4662 | $0.0070₹0.4662 |
| Italy | $0.105₹6.9847 | $0.0397₹2.6369 | $0.0397₹2.6369 | $0.0397₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | $0.0800₹5.3098 | $0.0238₹1.5824 | $0.0238₹1.5824 | $0.0238₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | $0.105₹6.9671 | $0.0583₹3.8671 | $0.0583₹3.8671 | $0.0583₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | $0.114₹7.5644 | $0.0186₹1.2314 | $0.0186₹1.2314 | $0.0186₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | $0.0526₹3.4877 | $0.0113₹0.7471 | $0.0113₹0.7471 | $0.0113₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | $0.0549₹3.6425 | $0.0305₹2.0218 | $0.0305₹2.0218 | $0.0305₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | $0.212₹14.0494 | $0.0663₹4.3987 | $0.0663₹4.3987 | $0.0663₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | $0.0970₹6.4397 | $0.0045₹0.2990 | $0.0045₹0.2990 | $0.0045₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | $0.0684₹4.5421 | $0.0089₹0.5898 | $0.0089₹0.5898 | $0.0089₹0.5898 |
| Oman | $0.0452₹2.9992 | $0.0327₹2.1709 | $0.0327₹2.1709 | $0.0327₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | $0.0627₹4.1620 | $0.0199₹1.3200 | $0.0199₹1.3200 | $0.0199₹1.3200 |
| Peru | $0.0932₹6.1843 | $0.0398₹2.6392 | $0.0398₹2.6392 | $0.0398₹2.6392 |
| Poland | $0.0484₹3.2105 | $0.0161₹1.0702 | $0.0161₹1.0702 | $0.0161₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | $0.0452₹2.9992 | $0.0159₹1.0547 | $0.0159₹1.0547 | $0.0159₹1.0547 |
| Romania | $0.114₹7.5596 | $0.0383₹2.5436 | $0.0383₹2.5436 | $0.0383₹2.5436 |
| Russia | $0.106₹7.0520 | $0.0530₹3.5173 | $0.0530₹3.5173 | $0.0530₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0762₹5.0537 | $0.0142₹0.9401 | $0.0142₹0.9401 | $0.0142₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | $0.0970₹6.4397 | $0.0212₹1.4072 | $0.0212₹1.4072 | $0.0212₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | $0.0503₹3.3385 | $0.0126₹0.8369 | $0.0126₹0.8369 | $0.0126₹0.8369 |
| Spain | $0.0937₹6.2161 | $0.0265₹1.7578 | $0.0265₹1.7578 | $0.0265₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | $0.0970₹6.4397 | $0.0027₹0.1759 | $0.0027₹0.1759 | $0.0027₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | $0.0144₹0.9587 | $0.0012₹0.0792 | $0.0012₹0.0792 | $0.0012₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | $0.114₹7.5596 | $0.0394₹2.6138 | $0.0394₹2.6138 | $0.0394₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0762₹5.0537 | $0.0208₹1.3811 | $0.0208₹1.3811 | $0.0208₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0841₹5.5795 | $0.0292₹1.9346 | $0.0292₹1.9346 | $0.0292₹1.9346 |
| North America | $0.0331₹2.1976 | $0.0045₹0.2989 | $0.0045₹0.2989 | $0.0045₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | $0.0298₹1.9796 | $0.0053₹0.3516 | $0.0053₹0.3516 | $0.0053₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | $0.112₹7.4057 | $0.0150₹0.9938 | $0.0150₹0.9938 | $0.0150₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | $0.114₹7.5596 | $0.0280₹1.8595 | $0.0280₹1.8595 | $0.0280₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | $0.0980₹6.5048 | $0.0150₹0.9934 | $0.0150₹0.9934 | $0.0150₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | $0.0520₹3.4490 | $0.0121₹0.7998 | $0.0121₹0.7998 | $0.0121₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | $0.0784₹5.2054 | $0.0226₹1.5019 | $0.0226₹1.5019 | $0.0226₹1.5019 |
| Other | $0.0800₹5.3098 | $0.0102₹0.6769 | $0.0102₹0.6769 | $0.0102₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. Meta charges by the recipient's country code, so a Canberra resident who still uses an Indian +91 number is billed at the India rate, ₹0.19 for a utility message. The converter shows Australian dollars for budgeting; InfiQ invoices in rupees.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
The parts of InfiQ that matter when the people you serve are in the ACT.
Draft en_AU, Hindi and Punjabi versions of each message and track every one through Meta's approval before the first Canberra send.
Australia's Spam Act names instant messages, so each ACT contact's opt-in source and time are kept and a STOP reply blocks later promotions.
Canberra replies arrive through your working day; roles and transfers let a delivery lead or a counsellor pick up the thread with its history.
The Australian rate is published in rupees, so a campaign to Canberra numbers can be costed before it is scheduled.
Nearby
Other city guides in Australia and the region, nearest first.
Sydney is the nearest large market to the capital; each of these pages looks at its own city's trades and clocks.
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and send your first en_AU templates once Meta business verification is complete. If your business is based in Canberra, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
