Oz says attacks on Indians affected ties with India

“There has been a shift and that shift has been negative,” he told a Senate hearing. “There has been damage to our reputation and standing.”

Richardson said his Department was trying to counter that by bringing Indian “opinion leaders” to Australia to gauge the atmosphere of the country.

Earlier,Foreign Minister Stephen Smith had said that “we needed to treat the relationship like a Test match and work with diligence,dedication,application and perseverance day in and day out to extend the partnership.”

The report said the crisis was being dealt with at the highest levels of government,as the inquiry hearing Richardson and National Security Adviser Duncan Lewis had met Helen Silver from the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.

But that was only once and meetings had since become telephone hook-ups,Richardson said.

Queensland Liberal Senator Russell Trood wanted more details about the reaction to the crimes,asking for numbers of Indian people visiting or leaving Australia in the wake of the attacks.

But the Department told him that those numbers were not available.