Close to tea, Australian state initially adding runs after English reply (6)
I believe the answer is:
answer
'reply' is the definition.
(synonyms)
I don't understand the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for answer that I've seen before include "Acknowledge" , "See 9" , "Reply or solution" , "What you need" , "Response to a question" .)