Sydney, July 26 - Peter Joseph Noozhumurry Varghese used to head Australia's spy agency, the Office of National Assessments. The mild-mannered but very articulate man of Indian origin, who will be Canberra's next envoy to New Delhi, however does not see himself as a James Bond. He prefers to be called a diplomat.

This August, Varghese will take over as Australian High Commissioner to India from John McCarthy. He will be the first ethnic Indian representing Australia's interests in India at the highest possible level.

His stint could not have come at a more exciting though sensitive time. India-Australia relations have been on a rollercoaster. Booming trade, defence and research ties notwithstanding, the bad publicity in the wake of assaults on Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney, the ubiquitous uranium question and the Mohammed Haneef bungle have certainly put an enormous strain on the relationship in the recent past.

The recent series of assaults on Indian students in Australia have caused a furore in India. At the official level, India is still upset over Australia's refusal to supply uranium. Last year, there was another furore over Haneef, who was incarcerated in Australia for three weeks after being charged with supporting a terrorist organisation by 'recklessly' giving his mobile phone SIM card to people planning the botched London and Glasgow bomb attacks. He had to be released when it was clear to everyone that the investigators had made a mistake.

So is Varghese being sent on a damage control mission? The man whose parents shifted from Kerala to Kenya laughs off the suggestion.

'On the contrary, the decision was taken well before these unfortunate events unfolded,' Varghese told the popular Sydney-based newspaper Indian Link.

'But, yes, to set the record straight, one of my priority tasks would be to reinforce our bilateral equations that have been shaken up by the recent students issue,' he added.

The high commissioner-designate is hopeful that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will visit India soon.

'Personally for me, it is an exciting professional posting and a natural career progression as the government is hoping to bring India into the front rank of diplomatic ties.

'Moreover, India never ceases to fascinate me and each time I travel there, I am amazed by its metamorphosis and its sheer volume,' Varghese said.

Besides the student issue of course, Varghese's immediate agenda will include trade, security dialogue and the political equation, all of which are poised at an interesting phase.