Australia–Indonesia Relations
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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
have established diplomatic relations since 27 December 1949, when Australia recognised Indonesia's independence. Historically, contact between Australians and Indonesians began as early as the 16th century prior to the arrival of the Europeans, through Makassan interactions with indigenous Australians on Australia's western and northern coasts. The relationship has been characterised by growing mutual trade of A$17.8 billion in 2018–19, an increase of 6.9% over the previous year, in addition to close links in government, education, and defence under the Lombok Treaty. Both nations are members of the
G20 The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stabil ...
,
ASEAN Regional Forum The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states re ...
, the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy , economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of Association of Southeast Asia ...
(APEC), the
ASEAN Free Trade Area The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is a trade bloc agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations supporting local trade and manufacturing in all ASEAN countries, and facilitating economic integration with regional and international all ...
, the Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) and the
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP ) is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific countries of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, S ...
(RCEP), among other organisations. Relations between the two countries are generally well, though there have been some strained periods since 1949, most notably the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation (where Australia sided with Malaysia), the East Timor crisis in 1999 (in which Australia plays a significant role), the issues of West Papua, asylum seekers, and the disclosure of Australia's wiretapping on some Indonesian officials in 2013. Cooperation between the two has strengthened each other in various fields, including the economy. Both are committed to an open economy by increasing trade and investment cooperation embodied in the IA-CEPA (which was ratified in February 2020 and took effect on 5 July 2020). In February 2020, both countries celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations during Indonesian President
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...
's visit to the Australian Parliament in Canberra.


History


Pre-European settlement

While some evidence suggests that sporadic contact between the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago and Indigenous Australians occurred as early as 16th or 17th century, it was only with the commencement of the trepang trade in the 1750s that significant relations were first developed. The trepangers departed from eastern Indonesian ports, predominantly Makassar and Kupang, and on arrival in Australia constructed shelters along with outdoor factories to process the trepang for trade with China.MacKnight, C.C. (1976).''The Voyage to Marege': Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia.'' Melbourne University Press. Ganter, R.(2008) ''Journal of Australian Studies,'' Volume 32,4, 2008: "Muslim Australians: the deep histories of contact." Retrieved on 6 April 2012 While they did not establish permanent settlements in Australia, there was some intermarriage with Indigenous Australians and their decedents remain in northern communities to the present day. At the height of the trade, the trepangers visited thousands of kilometres of Australian coastline, arriving with the monsoon season each December. Their boats (''
perahu The ProA is the second-tier league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 16 teams. Officially the ProA is part of the '' 2. Basketball Bundesliga'', which consists of the two hierarchical leagues ''ProA'' and ''ProB'' ...
''), carried up to 30 crew members and it is estimated that as many as 1,000 trepangers arrived each year. The crews established temporary settlements at various points along the coast to boil and dry the trepang before returning home to sell their cargo.Stephenson, P.(2010)''Islam Dreaming: Indigenous Muslims in Australia.'' P.22-6. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. ''Marege'', meaning 'wild country' was their name for
Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...
, from the
Cobourg Peninsula The Cobourg Peninsula is a peninsula located east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about , and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 ...
to
Groote Eylandt Groote Eylandt ( Anindilyakwa: ''Ayangkidarrba''; meaning "island" ) is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "large island" ...
in the
Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a sea off the northern coast of Australia. It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea, which separates Australia and New Guinea. The northern boundary ...
, while the north west coast was referred to as ''Kayu Jawa''.
Using Daeng Rangka Using Daeng Rangka, also known as Husein Daeng Rangka (–1927) was a Makassan fisherman and ship's captain, one of many trepangers who had early contact with Aboriginal Australians in northern Australia, and said to be the last to visit Aus ...
, the last Makassan trepanger to visit Australia, lived well into the 20th century, and first made the voyage to northern Australia as a young man. He recalled generally positive but occasionally conflicting relationships with Indigenous Australians, and was the first trepanger to pay the South Australian government trepanging licence in 1883, an impost that made the trade less viable.Macknight, C. C., 'Using Daeng Rangka (1845–1927)', ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of Biography, Australian National University

Retrieved on 6 April 2012
The trade continued to dwindle toward the end of the 19th century due to the imposition of customs duties and licence fees. This decline was probably compounded by overfishing.Schwerdtner Máñez, K & Ferse, S.C.A. (2010) ''The History of Makassan Trepang Fishing and Trade.'' PLoS ONE 5(6) e11346. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.001134

Retrieved on 6 April 2012
Using Daeng Rangka commanded the last ''perahu'', which left Arnhem Land in 1907. There is significant evidence of contact with the trepangers in the rock art and bark painting of northern Australia, with the ''perahu'' featuring prominently in many locations. Studies by anthropologists have also found traditions that indicate the trepangers negotiated for the right to fish certain waters. The exchange involved the trade of cloth, tobacco, metal axes and knives, rice and gin. The Yolŋu, Yolngu of Arnhem land also traded turtle-shell, pearls and cypress pine, and some were employed as trepangers. A Makassan
pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified form of contact language that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn f ...
became a
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...
along the north coast, not just between Makassan and Aboriginal people, but also between different Aboriginal groups, who were brought into greater contact with one another by the seafaring Makassar culture. Words from the
Makassarese language Makassarese (, ), sometimes called Makasar, Makassar, or Macassar, is a language of the Makassarese people, spoken in South Sulawesi province of Indonesia. It is a member of the South Sulawesi languages, South Sulawesi group of the Austronesian ...
(related to the Javanese and
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
languages) can still be found in Aboriginal language varieties of the north coast; examples include ''
rupiah The rupiah (Currency symbol, symbol: Rp; ISO 4217, currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia, issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also inform ...
'' (money), jama (work) and '' balanda'' (white person). It is speculated that the Makassans may have also been the first to introduce Islam to Australia.


Colonization, Federation, and World War II

From the 1870s, Indonesians were recruited to work in the pearling and sugar cane industries in northern Australia. Around 1,000 Indonesians were living in Australia by
Federation A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
in 1901, almost all in Queensland and Western Australia. With the introduction of the White Australia policy at this time, most sugar workers returned to Indonesia, although some pearl divers remained. In 1933, the
Lyons government The Lyons government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Joseph Lyons. It was made up of members of the United Australia Party in the Australian Parliament from January 1932 until the death of Joseph Lyons in ...
resolved to appointed trade commissioners to Hong Kong and Batavia (present-day Jakarta), although the positions were not filled until February 1935. The
Australian Eastern Mission The Australian Eastern Mission (AEM) was a 1934 State visit, diplomatic tour of East and South-East Asia led by Australian deputy prime minister John Greig Latham, John Latham. The mission was the first such official tour sent by Australia outsid ...
of 1934, led by deputy prime minister John Latham, was the first Australian diplomatic mission to the Dutch East Indies. Latham spent eleven days there, more than in any other country except Japan. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, many Indonesian nationalists were based in Melbourne. Following the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
, Australian forces participated in the occupation of eastern Indonesia in coordination with the British
South East Asia Command South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during the Second World War. History Organisation The initial supreme commander of the theatre was General Sir ...
's occupation of Java. As
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
during the war, the
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
and
British governments This article lists successive British governments, also referred to as ministries, from the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, continuing through the duration of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1922, ...
claimed they were both under obligations to help the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
restore their occupation over the former
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
. Australian forces participated in the
Borneo campaign The Borneo campaign or Second Battle of Borneo was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II to liberate Japanese-held British Borneo and Dutch Borneo. Designated collectively as Operation Oboe, ...
alongside US forces against the Japanese, including the Battle of Balikpapan in 1945.Vickers (2005), p. 95–97 On 17 August 1945, Indonesian nationalist leaders
Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...
and Mohammed Hatta proclaimed the independence of the
Republic of Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.


Indonesian independence

Despite sympathies among the political left for the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...
, Australia cautiously withheld ''de facto'' recognition of the Republic of Indonesia until 9 July 1947, albeit only over the regions of
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
,
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, and
Madura is an list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively ...
. Following disagreements over negotiations with Indonesian republicans, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
launched a major military offensive (
Operation Product Operation Product was a Dutch military offensive against areas of Java and Sumatra controlled by the de facto Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution.Vickers (2005), p. 99 It took place between 21 July and 4 August 1947. ...
) in Java and Sumatra on 20 July 1947. From that point until the Netherlands' recognition of Indonesia's sovereignty in December 1949, Australian waterside workers banned Dutch vessels and vessels taking munitions and equipment to Indonesia which became known as the "
Black Armada The Black Armada () was a name applied to Netherlands, Dutch Merchant navy, merchant and Naval ship, military vessels which were prevented from sailing to the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, newly proclaimed independent Indonesia from Au ...
". Australia referred the conflict to the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
(UNSC) on 30 July 1947, naming the Netherlands as the violators of the peace. Later, Australia raised the matter of Indonesia's decolonisation in the United Nations. Two days later, the UNSC ordered a cease-fire and established a committee to broker a truce and a renewal of negotiations. The Indonesian Republic nominated Australia to sit on the committee, which produced the
Renville Agreement The Renville Agreement was a United Nations Security Council-brokered political accord between the Netherlands, which was seeking to re-establish its colony in Southeast Asia, and Indonesian Republicans seeking Indonesian independence during the ...
of January 1948. The Dutch launched a second major military offensive ( Operation Crow) and occupied Republican-held territory in Java. Following the
Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference The Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference (; Indonesian: ) was held in The Hague from 23 August to 2 November 1949, between representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Indonesia and the Federal Consultative Assembly, ...
from August to November 1949, the Republic's sovereignty over Indonesia was officially recognised by the Netherlands in December 1949. The Australian government, led by
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
, was amongst the first to recognise the new state. Both countries afforded each other
most favoured nation In international economic relations and international politics, most favoured nation (MFN) is a status or level of treatment accorded by one state to another in international trade. The term means the country which is the recipient of this treatme ...
with respect to trade and tariffs in 1959, an agreement which has continued to the present day with the exception of 1970–1972.


Sukarno era

The Menzies Government in Australia held strong reservations about Sukarno's flirtation with the
Indonesian Communist Party The Communist Party of Indonesia ( Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in ...
(PKI), continuing through to 1965. Nevertheless, in 1959
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
was the first Australian Prime Minister to visit Indonesia. Australia conducted warfare in aid of
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
during the period of '' Konfrontasi'' between April 1964 and August 1966. Australian forces in
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
were frequently deployed across the border into Indonesia to ambush patrols moving towards Malaysia during 1965 and 1966. Wary of direct conflict with Indonesia, Minister for External Affairs
Garfield Barwick Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick (22 June 190313 July 1997) was an Australian judge who was the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1964 to 1981. He had earlier been a Liberal Party politician, serving as a ...
characterised Australia's involvement as "a carefully graduated response" to British and Malayan requests for support. Seven Australians died in active service in the conflict. Throughout, Australia sought to maintain aid to Indonesia, including the development of the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network, a project which addressed deficiencies in Indonesia's civil aviation system and allowed international operators flying through Indonesian airspace – including Australia's
Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
– improved safety. Indonesia had joined the
Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...
in 1953, which also continued throughout the conflict. The United States opted to withdraw foreign aid in 1964, prompting
Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...
's famous "go to hell" remark, however the AFTN project, amongst others, continued in spite of shipping around Singapore and Malaysia. An agreement between Indonesia and several
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
countries on the management of
war graves A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...
in Indonesia was signed in 1964.


New Order and East Timor

The avowedly anti-communist stance of new President
Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
and his " New Order" government was a point of common cause with successive Australian governments. Australian foreign minister
Paul Hasluck Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck (1 April 1905 – 9 January 1993) was an Australian statesman who served as the 17th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1969 to 1974. Prior to that, he was a Liberal Party politician, holding minis ...
visited Indonesia to meet
Suharto Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
three times between August 1966 and January 1968 before Suharto's formal appointment as President of Indonesia in March 1968. Australian prime minister
John Gorton Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician, farmer and airman who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971. He held office as the leader of the leade ...
then visited Jakarta in June 1968, making only the second visit by any Australian prime minister to Indonesia. Suharto made his first visit to Australia in 1972, and met with Prime Minister
William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988), also known as Billy McMahon, was an Australian politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia ...
. Following his election in December 1972,
Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...
met President Suharto in
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
in September 1974 and told him that he did not support East Timor's independence, claiming that it would destabilise the region. The leaders again met in
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
in 1975, Suharto's last visit to Australia. A cultural agreement encouraging wider mutual understanding and cooperation in culture, education, arts and sport was signed in 1968. Australia contributed $1 million for the restoration and reconstruction of
Borobudur Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur (, ), is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, near the city of Magelang and the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indonesia. Constructed of gray andesite-like stone, the temple consi ...
in 1973. In the same year, negotiations on seabed boundaries between Australia and Indonesia were concluded for an area in the
Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea is ...
from west of Cape York to a point south of
West Timor West Timor () is an area covering the western part of the island of Timor, except for the district of Oecussi-Ambeno (an East Timorese exclave). Administratively, West Timor is part of East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The capital as well ...
, excluding points south of
Portuguese Timor Portuguese Timor () was a Portuguese colony on the territory of present-day East Timor from 1702 until 1975. During most of this period, Portugal shared the island of Timor with the Dutch East Indies. The first Europeans to arrive in the regio ...
. In the build-up to the
Indonesian invasion of East Timor The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, known in Indonesia as Operation Lotus (), began on 7 December 1975 when the Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) invaded East Timor under the pretext of anti-colonialism and anti-communism to overthrow the Fre ...
in 1975, five Australian journalists were killed in the East Timorese border town of
Balibo Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the sub-district of Balibo, Bobonaro District. It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 percent of the town was destroyed dur ...
. According to a 2007 Australian coronial enquiry, the journalists were deliberately shot by members of the Indonesian special forces. According to Indonesia, the men were killed in cross-fire between the military and pro-independence militia.
Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from December 1972 to November 1975. To date the longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was notable for being ...
made assurances that Australia would not intervene in the conflict, and encouraged Indonesian action to take over
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
in 1975 on the basis of concerns over the left-leaning
Fretilin The Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (, abbreviated as Fretilin) is a separatist organization turned centre-left political party in Timor-Leste. It presently holds 19 of 65 seats in the National Parliament. Fretilin formed the ...
movement. Subsequent killings and famine eliminated one-third, or 200,000, of the territory's population. The new Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and is the fourth List of ...
met Suharto in October 1976, offering ''de facto'' recognition of the Indonesian annexation of
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
, which was followed by Australia's ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...
'' recognition in 1979, the only foreign government to afford complete recognition of the incorporation. The
Balibo Five The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian commercial television networks who were murdered in the period leading up to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. The Balibo Five were based in the town of Balibo in East Timor (then P ...
proved a significant sticking point in the relationship between Australia and Indonesia, a weakness which was compounded by a 1986 ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'' article which discussed Suharto's business dealings in a negative light. The growing prominence of trade and investment for the relationship, however, led to the steady growth of trade between the two countries beginning in the 1980s, with average growth of up to 19%. The
Timor Gap Treaty The Timor Gap Treaty was formally known as the ''Treaty between Australia and the Republic of Indonesia on the zone of cooperation in an area between the Indonesian province of East Timor and Northern Australia''. It was a bilateral treaty betwe ...
was signed in December 1989, and came into effect in 1991. The agreement established a zone of cooperation in the
Timor Gap The Timor Gap is an area of the Timor Sea between Australia and Timor-Leste. The area has been the subject of disputes over maritime boundaries, as well as the rights to extract and take revenue from its substantial petroleum reserves. Austral ...
, an oil and gas rich area between the Australian and Indonesian maritime borders, and resolved competing claims between the two countries dating back to Indonesia's annexation of Timor. The Maritime Boundary Treaty, signed in 1997, finalised the border in areas not already addressed by existing agreements. In 1992, an agreement was concluded for the avoidance of
double taxation Double taxation is the levying of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the same income (in the case of income taxes), asset (in the case of capital taxes), or financial transaction (in the case of sales taxes). Double liability may be mitigated ...
on
income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
, and on co-operation to prevent
tax evasion Tax evasion or tax fraud is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to red ...
between the two countries. Prime Minister
Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and trade unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996. He held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously ser ...
visited Indonesia to meet Suharto a number of times in the 1990s. During a visit in 1994, he said:
"No country is more important to Australia than Indonesia. If we fail to get this relationship right, and nurture and develop it, the whole web of our foreign relations is incomplete ndnbsp;... the emergence of the New Order government of President Suharto, and the stability and prosperity which thas brought to ndonesiawas the single most beneficial strategic development to have affected Australia and its region in the past thirty years. We need to encourage the use of popular media with positive input
uch as Uch (; ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf (; ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the Pakistan's Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during I ...
"Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?" his isthe exact sort of opinions we need".
Under Keating's government, the first Indonesia-Australia Ministerial Forum was held in 1994, and brought together ministers for foreign affairs, trade, immigration and the environment. Meetings were subsequently held every two years. In December 1995, Australia and Indonesia signed a security agreement, committing both parties to consultation on "matters affecting their common security", to promotion of cooperative activities, and to joint responses to mutual threats. The agreement was viewed by some observers as a "surprise". An extradition treaty was signed in 1995, providing for
extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...
for a range of crimes, excluding 'political crimes' other than the
attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seve ...
of a
head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "
he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
. In 1997, an agreement was signed regarding the use of
nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity *Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy, the pot ...
for social and economic development. During the
1997 Asian financial crisis The 1997 Asian financial crisis gripped much of East Asia, East and Southeast Asia during the late 1990s. The crisis began in Thailand in July 1997 before spreading to several other countries with a ripple effect, raising fears of a worldwide eco ...
, Australia provided $8.8 million for programs designed to relieve issues caused by
drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D.  Jiang, A.  Khan, W.  Pokam Mba, D.  Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...
, increasing food prices and
unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...
, particularly in eastern Indonesia. Australia made an additional $1 billion loan available to Indonesia as a form of 'second line' support, in the event that
IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of la ...
assistance could not stabilise the
rupiah The rupiah (Currency symbol, symbol: Rp; ISO 4217, currency code: IDR) is the official currency of Indonesia, issued and controlled by Bank Indonesia. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word for silver, (). Sometimes, Indonesians also inform ...
.


Secession of East Timor

Relations reached a low point following East Timor's secession from Indonesia in 1999. Following a United Nations agreement between Indonesia and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, a UN-supervised referendum held on 30 August 1999 offered a choice between autonomy within Indonesia and full independence. The people of
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
voted overwhelmingly for independence. An Australian-led and Indonesian-sanctioned peacekeeping force,
INTERFET The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
, was sent into the territory to restore order following a violent 'scorched-earth' policy carried out by pro-integration militia and supported by elements of the Indonesian military. In response to Australia's involvement, Indonesia abrogated the 1995 security pact, asserting that Australia's actions in East Timor were inconsistent with 'both the letter and spirit of the agreement'. Official meetings were cancelled or delayed, including the Indonesia-Australia Ministerial Dialogue, which would not reconvene until March 2003. INTERFET was later replaced by a UN force of international police,
UNTAET The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET, ), was a United Nations mission in East Timor that aimed to solve the decades-long East Timorese crisis in the area occupied by Indonesian military. UNTAET provided an int ...
, which formed a detachment to investigate alleged atrocities.


''Tampa'' affair and the War on Terror

The relationship came under strain in August 2001 during the ''Tampa'' affair, when Australia refused permission for the Norwegian freighter ship MV ''Tampa'' to enter Australian waters while carrying
Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...
asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...
that it had rescued from a distressed fishing vessel in international waters. The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency did not immediately respond to requests from Australia to receive the vessel. When the ship entered Australian territorial waters after being refused permission, Australia attempted without success to persuade Indonesia to accept the asylum seekers. Norway also refused to accept the asylum seekers and reported Australia to international maritime authorities. The incident prompted closer coordination between Indonesian and Australian authorities, including regional conferences on people smuggling, trafficking in persons and other
transnational crime Transnational crimes are crimes that have actual or potential effect across national borders and crimes that are intrastate but offend fundamental values of the international community. The term is commonly used in the law enforcement and academic ...
. In 2002, a
terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...
in
Kuta, Bali Kuta () is a Tourist attraction, tourist area, administratively an Villages of Indonesia, urban village (''kelurahan''), and the capital of Kuta District, Badung Regency, southern Bali, Indonesia. Kuta is a part of the Denpasar metropolitan area, ...
killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and injured a further 240.
Jemaah Islamiyah Jemaah Islamiyah (, ''al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah'', meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI) was a Southeast Asian Islamist militant group based in Indonesia, which was dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in ...
, a violent Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, allegedly in retaliation for Australia's support for East Timorese independence and the War on Terror. A subsequent attack in 2005 resulted in the deaths of a further 20 people, including 15 Indonesians and 4 Australians. The
2003 Marriott Hotel bombing A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Jakarta hotel on 5 August 2003, killing 12 people and injuring 150. Those killed included 11 Indonesians and one Dutch national. The hotel was viewed as a Western sym ...
was also perceived as targeted at Western interests in Indonesia;
Al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
claimed the attack was carried out by a Jemaah Islamiyah suicide bomber in response to actions of the United States and its allies, including Australia. A 2004 attack on the Australian embassy in Jakarta by Jemaah Islamiyah resulted in the deaths of nine Indonesians. The following year, Indonesian diplomatic and consular premises in Australia received a number of hoax and threat messages. Since then, both the United States and Australian governments have issued warnings against travel to Indonesia, advising their citizens of a continued risk of attacks. These incidents prompted greater cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the two countries, building on a 1999 agreement on drug trafficking and
money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
. The
Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...
's Jakarta Regional Cooperation Team provided assistance to the
Indonesian National Police The Indonesian National Police (, abbreviated as POLRI) is the national law enforcement and police force of the Republic of Indonesia. Founded on 1 July 1946, it was formerly a part of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, country's military si ...
, and has contributed to the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation. This relationship has attracted criticism, particularly following the arrest and sentencing of the
Bali Nine The Bali Nine were a group of nine Australians convicted for attempting to drug smuggling, smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan ( ...
, a group of nine Australians arrested in
Denpasar Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ, ''Dénpasar'') is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia. Denpasar is the largest city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second largest city in Eastern Indonesia after ...
while attempting to smuggle heroin from Indonesia to Australia. The 2005 conviction of
Schapelle Corby Schapelle Leigh Corby (born 10 July 1977) is an Australian woman who was convicted of drug smuggling, smuggling cannabis into Indonesia. She spent nine years imprisoned on the Indonesian island of Bali in Kerobokan Prison. Since her arrest, Cor ...
for attempting to smuggle drugs to Bali also attracted significant attention in the Australian media. The
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+07:00, UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicenter, epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The Submarine earthquake, undersea ...
prompted a significant humanitarian response from Australia, including a $1 billion aid package from the federal government, a further $17.45 million contribution from state and territory governments, and the commitment of 900
Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...
personnel to relief efforts in northern Sumatra and
Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
. A telethon broadcast on Australia's three major commercial television networks called " Australia Unites: Reach Out To Asia" generated pledges of more than $10 million, contributing to total private aid of $140 million. The Eighth ''Australia-Indonesia Ministerial Forum'' (AIMF) was held in
Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
on 29 June 2006 and was attended by five Australian and eleven Indonesian ministers. A key outcome was support for the conclusion of a security agreement, later realised as the Lombok Agreement, providing a framework for the development of the security relationship by the end of 2006 on defence, law enforcement,
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
, intelligence, maritime security, aviation safety, WMD non-proliferation, and bilateral nuclear cooperation for peaceful purposes. Australia-Indonesia-East Timor Trilateral Ministerial Meetings occurred three times to September 2006.


Recent relations

2010 President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born 9 September 1949), commonly referred to as SBY, is an Indonesian politician and retired Indonesian Army, army general who served as the sixth president of Indonesia from 2004 to 2014 and the second president of Ind ...
visited Australia in April 2010, and became the second Indonesian leader to address
federal parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament) is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch of Australia (represented by the governor ...
:
Finally, I look forward to a day in the near future. The day when policy makers, academicians, journalists and other opinion leaders all over the world take a good look at the things we are doing so well together. And they will say: these two used to be worlds apart. But they now have a fair dinkum of a partnership. Why can't we all do likewise?
During the same visit, President Yudhoyono was appointed an
Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...
, the country's highest civilian honour, for strengthening the bilateral relationship, and promoting democracy and development. 2011 A ''
Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...
'' documentary on
animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or Injury, harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...
in Indonesian abattoirs broadcast in May 2011 highlighted significant issues regarding the treatment and welfare of Australian live export cattle in Indonesia. The public response to the documentary led Australia to ban live cattle exports to Indonesia in June 2011. The decision attracted significant criticism from the federal opposition, and Indonesia threatened to take the dispute to the
World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
. Following the establishment of a new "supply chain assurance regulatory model", exports resumed in July 2011. 2013 In November 2013, documents leaked to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
reported that in 2009, the
Australian Signals Directorate The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), formerly the Defence Signals Directorate, is a statutory agency of the Government of Australia responsible for signals intelligence, providing intelligence support to Australian military operations, con ...
attempted to monitor the mobile phone calls of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife
Ani Yudhoyono Kristiani Herrawati Yudhoyono (6 July 1952 – 1 June 2019) was an Indonesian political and female activist, who was the wife of former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady of Indonesia from 2004 until 2014. She was also t ...
, and senior officials including foreign affairs spokesman Dino Patti Djalal and trade minister
Hatta Rajasa Muhammad Hatta Rajasa (born 18 December 1953) is an Indonesian politician who served as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Indonesia from 22 October 2009 to 13 May 2014. A member of the National Mandate Party (PAN), he previously served ...
. The allegations followed earlier reports by ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' and
Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media (communication), media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The ...
in October 2013, which suggested that Australian embassies and diplomatic posts in Asia were being used to intercept phone calls and data, including during the
2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference __NOTOC__ The 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference took place at the Bali International Conference Centre, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, between December 3 and December 15, 2007 (though originally planned to end on 14 December). Representa ...
. The allegations prompted Indonesia to immediately recall its ambassador to Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema. Australian Prime Minister
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
initially declined to apologise or comment on the matter, prompting accusations from President Yudhoyono that he had "belittled" Indonesia's response to the issue. Speaking to
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, Abbott argued that Australia "should not be expected to apologise for...reasonable intelligence-gathering activities". Indonesia immediately responded by reviewing all areas of bilateral cooperation, including on issues around
people smuggling People smuggling (also called human smuggling), under U.S. law, is "the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more countries' laws, ...
, a major component of the
Abbott government The Abbott government was the federal executive government of Australia led by the 28th Prime Minister Tony Abbott. The government was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition. The Leader of The Nationals, Warren Truss, served ...
's
Operation Sovereign Borders Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) is a border protection operation led by the Australian Border Force, aimed at stopping maritime arrivals of asylum seekers to Australia. The operation is the outcome of a 2013 Australian federal election, 2013 f ...
policy. 2021 In September 2021, the foreign and defense ministers of Indonesia and Australia met in Jakarta and jointly urged the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
to respect the human rights of Afghan women and girls. They also discussed the possibility of Indonesian troops joining regular training exercises on Australian soil as part of strengthening defense ties. 2024 On 20 August 2024, Australia and Indonesia agreed a treaty-level defence cooperation agreement which allow Australian and Indonesian militaries to operate from each other's countries. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "It will be a vital plank for our two countries to support each other's security, which is vital to both countries, but also to the stability of the region that we share," On 19 November 2024, Australian Navy ship Adelaide arrived at Jakarta's Port of Tanjung Priok, Tanjung Priok Port, launching the Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE) campaign. The initiative, following a recent defense pact, aims to strengthen Australia-Indonesia ties for a secure Indo-Pacific.


Trade and investment

Two-way trade between Australia and Indonesia was worth A$17.8 billion in 2018–19, an increase of 6.9% over the previous year. Australian investment in Indonesia totalled $5.4 billion, while Indonesian investment in Australia grew 11% to $454 million over the same period. Austrade estimates that more than 400 Australian companies operate in Indonesia. Annual trade between Australia and Indonesia has grown, on average, by 1.5% for the five years to 2017–18, considerably slower than the annual average of 5.7% for Australia's total trade during the same period. Trade with Indonesia represents 2% of Australia's total trade. The Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in 2019, removes tariffs from nearly all bilateral trade between the two countries. Australia and Indonesia are both members of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, signed in February 2009. Both countries have concluded negotiations on Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), intended to build upon existing agreements. Negotiations first started in 2010 Indonesia applies
most favoured nation In international economic relations and international politics, most favoured nation (MFN) is a status or level of treatment accorded by one state to another in international trade. The term means the country which is the recipient of this treatme ...
status to Australian imports, while Australia applies equivalent concessions through its developing country tariff rate. and the agreement was signed in March 2019. Australia's primary exports to Indonesia include wheat, livestock (beef and cattle), petroleum, aluminium and cotton, while Indonesia's major exports include crude and refined petroleum, gold, iron, steel, and aluminium structures. More than 15,000 Indonesians students are enrolled in Australian schools and universities, making a contribution of $500 million to the Australian economy. Indonesian imports of beef and cattle from Australia amount to about $12 billion annually. Since the trade began in the 1990s, more than 6.5 million cattle have been shipped to Indonesia. Australia is a natural choice to supply Indonesian cattle needs due to its proximity that reduces shipping costs compared to other countries. Since 2009, when Indonesia adopted Law No. 18/2009 on Animal Husbandry and Animal Health, Indonesia can only import cattle from countries which are free from Foot-and-mouth disease, mouth and feet diseases which also favours Australia as the main source of beef. The significance of Australian trade to Indonesia is less than that of its Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN co-members, particularly its close neighbours Singapore,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and Thailand, and also to major economic powers such as China, Japan and the United States. Australia is ranked 8th in Indonesia's import list. Indonesia's highest trade volumes are with China, Japan, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. Both nations are members of APEC and the East Asia Summit. In 2020, both countries signed the IA-CEPA. Considered a milestone in the bilateral relations, it aims to improve economic relations, including Australian market access and Australian investment in Indonesia, reduce trade barriers for Indonesian exports (with both eliminating tariff posts), open a wider market for goods and services as well as opportunities in various fields, and increasing the amount of Indonesia exports and its competitiveness globally.


Australian aid to Indonesia

Indonesia is the largest recipient of AusAID, Australian aid, and Australia is the fourth-largest donor of foreign aid to Indonesia. Australian development aid to Indonesia traces back to 1953 with Indonesia's participation in the
Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...
. For three decades, between 1967 and 2003, Australian aid programs to Indonesia were coordinated within the international arrangements established by the Inter-Governmental Group on Indonesia and the Consultative Group on Indonesia. Numerous projects were established such as the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network, a project intended to address deficiencies in Indonesia's civil aviation system. The Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Indonesia, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami saw the creation of the ''Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development'', which was launched in early 2005 with A$1 billion of funding to assist with the rebuilding of communities in
Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
and other disaster-affected areas, and to promote economic growth across Indonesia. Combined with the pre-existing Australia-to-Indonesia program, it boosted the value of Australia-to-Indonesia aid between 2005–2010 to $2 billion, including A$500 million in concessional loans. In 2008, Australia provided funding of $650 million to Indonesia to assist its economy during the 2008 financial crisis. A further development partnership was announced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd with President Susilo Bambang, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta the same year. Following the Black Saturday bushfires, 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, Indonesia donated $1 million to assist with reconstruction in affected communities, in addition to a Forensic science, forensic team to assist in identifying the victims. Australian aid to Indonesia was worth A$331.3 million in 2018–19, and is estimated at A$298.5 million in 2019–20. Australia's aid efforts in Indonesia primarily focus on infrastructure, economic governance, human development and social policy, including in the area of law and justice. Recent AusAID programs have included funding for the construction and improvement of Pesantren, Islamic schools, a roads improvement project for eastern Indonesia, and the Indonesia Infrastructure Initiative, designed to improve water, sanitation, and transport infrastructure. A report by the Australian National Audit Office into Australia's infrastructure programs found that although effective, they lacked explicit strategies for engagement in the sector, and did not effectively manage key risks, contributing to delays in the program's implementation. Aside from humanitarian efforts to combat poverty and rebuild tsunami-affected areas, development programs also include economic reforms and political governance in supporting anti-corruption measures in parliamentary and electoral institutions and in the financial sector. The Australian Electoral Commission formed a partnership with Indonesia's General Elections Commission (Indonesia), General Elections Commission (''Komisi Pemilihan Umum'', KPU), with the aim of improving its capacity and procedures in the lead-up to the 2014 Indonesian presidential election, 2014 presidential election.


Migration

In the Australian Census#2011, 2011 Australian Census, 63,159 people listed their country of birth as Indonesia, of whom 38.1% were Australians, Australian citizens. 30.5% of the current Indonesian population in Australia arrived in the country between 2006 and 2011, with the majority of earlier residents arriving after 1991. In contrast with the broader Indonesian population, a quarter of Indonesian-born residents in Australia list Catholicism as their religion, followed by 19.4% who listed Islam. Most are employed as professional, clerical or administrative workers, or as labourers. According to the 2001 Australian census, 42.9% of Indonesian-born people living in Australia resided in New South Wales, followed by 24.7% in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, 15.5% in Western Australia, and 10.4% in Queensland. 40.7% listed their ancestry as Chinese, 39.8% as Indonesian, and 7.2% as Dutch people, Dutch. Statistics Indonesia does not measure the number of Australian residents in Indonesia, however tourist arrivals indicate that 931,109 Australians visited Indonesia in 2011. According to research conducted in 2009 by Bank Indonesia, there were approximately 45,384 foreigners working in Indonesia, of whom 5% (or 2,209) were Australian. The majority (63%) of foreign workers were based in Jakarta, working mainly as professionals, technicians, and managers.


Tourism and transportation

Indonesia is Australia's second-most popular tourism destination after New Zealand. 2,137,537 passengers travelled between Australia and Indonesia in 2012, including 910,000 visitors to Indonesia. In 2012, Australia was Indonesia's 12th-largest inbound market for visitor arrivals, with the majority of visitors travelling for holiday or to visit relatives. Garuda Indonesia is the largest airline with routes between Australia and Indonesia, with 45% market share through its services from Soekarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta and Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. In March 2013, the airline announced plans to resume daily flights between Brisbane and Denpasar beginning in August.
Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...
also offers services between Sydney Airport, Sydney and Jakarta, while Virgin Australia, Indonesia Air Asia and Jetstar Airways, Jetstar offer flights to Bali. A transport safety partnership between the two countries was established in 2007, and expanded in December 2012. The partnership covers air, sea, rail and road transport, providing for up to 27,500 seats between Indonesia and Australia's main airports each week. The plans also include ship tracking arrangements, and an exchange program between the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency aimed at speeding up asylum seeker boat rescues. Nineteen Australian passengers, including government officials Elizabeth O'Neill (official), Elizabeth O'Neill, Allison Sudradjat, and ''Australian Financial Review'' journalist Morgan Mellish, were killed when Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crashed in Adisucipto International Airport, Yogyakarta on 7 March 2007. The following year, both countries signed a memorandum of understanding on air transport safety, which included $24 million of funding to train 40 Indonesian airworthiness inspectors, improve Air traffic control, air traffic management, and enhance Indonesia's capacity to undertake investigation of transport accidents.


Bilateral issues


Public opinion

Public opinion polls conducted by the Lowy Institute, an Australian foreign relations think tank, found that Australians rated their views towards Indonesia as 54 degrees, on a scale between 0 and 100 degrees ranging from 'very unfavourable' to 'very warm'. This represented an increase of 4 degrees from the previous survey, conducted in 2006. By contrast, in 2012 Indonesians rated their views towards Australia at 62 degrees, up from 51 degrees in 2006. This polling also found that in 2012, just under a third of Indonesians saw Australia as a potential threat to their country. A 2003 study on Indonesian aspirants for a diplomatic position reported that 95% of them had anti-Australian sentiment. Polling conducted in 2006 also indicated that, in general, Australians agreed that "Indonesia is essentially controlled by the military" and that it represents a "dangerous source of Islamic terrorism". Nevertheless, more than three-quarters of respondents to the same survey said that "'it is very important that Australia and Indonesia work to develop a close relationship", with only 22% agreeing that "Australia and Indonesia are too different to develop a close relationship".


Espionage allegations

In October 2013, relations were strained due to allegations that the
Australian Signals Directorate The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), formerly the Defence Signals Directorate, is a statutory agency of the Government of Australia responsible for signals intelligence, providing intelligence support to Australian military operations, con ...
had in 2009 attempted to monitor the phone calls of senior Indonesian officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Susilo Bambang Yudhiyono and his wife
Ani Yudhoyono Kristiani Herrawati Yudhoyono (6 July 1952 – 1 June 2019) was an Indonesian political and female activist, who was the wife of former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady of Indonesia from 2004 until 2014. She was also t ...
. In response, Australian Prime Minister
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
said of the bilateral relations: "I will never say or do anything that might damage the strong relationship and the close cooperation that we have with Indonesia, which is all in all our most important relationship." Indonesia then froze ties with Australia, as Abbott refused to apologise. Indonesians then protested Australia's actions, including burning the flag of Australia as Australians were warned to be vigilant in the country. The Indonesian ambassador, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, was recalled to Jakarta between November 2013 and May 2014 as a result of the disagreements between the two countries over the allegations.


Security

The proportion of Australian voters naming Indonesia as a security threat reached one in five after the Santa Cruz massacre in 1991, subsequently increasing to three in ten following the 1999 East Timorese crisis, 1999 crisis in East Timor. In 2004, an Australian Strategic Policy Institute survey showed 29% of those polled identified Indonesia as 'most likely' to pose a security threat to Australia in the future, a slight decline from the figure of 31% recorded in 2001. In all surveyed periods, Indonesia was identified as Australia's foremost security threat. Polling conducted in 2009 suggested that 39% of Australians saw no specific country as representing a potential threat to Australia's security, followed by 20% naming Indonesia. In his 2010 speech to Australian parliament, President Yudhoyono described the perception of Indonesia as a military threat as a "preposterous mental caricature". Indonesia's military is generally not considered to have the capability to invade Australia. Public opinion surveys in Indonesia have indicated that Australia is its fourth most "warmly regarded" country, with significant support for closer ties in education, health, trade, and democracy.


People smuggling

The issue of
people smuggling People smuggling (also called human smuggling), under U.S. law, is "the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more countries' laws, ...
and the movement of Refugee, asylum seekers through Indonesia has attracted significant attention in the Australian media, particularly following the Tampa affair and the subsequent introduction of the "Pacific Solution" under the Howard government. Many asylum seekers seeking refuge in Australia transit through Indonesia, often waiting in Indonesia before attempting to reach Australia by boat. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2012 there were 1225 refugees and 5429 asylum seekers registered with the United Nations in Indonesia. In 2002, the Bali Process was established to provide a framework for negotiations and to improve cooperation on the issue. An expert panel on asylum seekers appointed by the Gillard government in 2012 advocated "high-level and broad-ranging bilateral cooperation" with Indonesia and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
on the issue. Laws criminalising people smuggling were passed by the People's Representative Council, Indonesian parliament in 2011, and impose penalties of between five and 15 years in prison for those convicted. The laws include penalties for corrupt officials, and for failing to report officials, smugglers and asylum seekers guilty of immigration violations. The same year, Australia contributed three patrol boats to assist Indonesian law enforcement officials in combatting the trade. Australia also agreed to accept a further 400 asylum seekers from Indonesia.


West Papua

The issue of alleged human rights abuses by the Indonesian military in West Papua (region), West Papua region has attracted significant attention in Australia and several other Pacific states. Although Australia and most of the Pacific states officially recognises Indonesian sovereignty over the region, some members of parliament from the Australian Labor Party, Labor, Australian Greens, Greens and Australian Liberal Party, Liberal parties have expressed concerns over potential human rights breaches, and the lack of access for journalists and observers. In 2006, Australia's West Papuan refugee dispute, decision to grant temporary protection visas to 42 West Papuan asylum seekers who claimed they were being threatened by the Indonesian military, prompted Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to recall Indonesia's ambassador to Australia. Indonesian officials indicated that the issue could affect efforts to reduce people smuggling and guaranteed the safety of the group. The incident led to a "war of cartoons" between the two countries, after ''The Australian'' newspaper published a Bill Leak cartoon depicting the president as a dog mounting a Papuan, which prompted Indonesian student activists to demand to end closer ties with Australia. In 2008, Merauke Five, five Australian citizens were detained by local authorities for attempting to enter Merauke town without visas. The group were later sentenced to between two and three years in prison each, a ruling that was overturned by the Jayapura High Court. This decision was appealed in Indonesia's Supreme Court and subsequently rejected in June 2009.


Live stock export

On 30 May 2011, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, ABC broadcast a report about how Australian cattle were slaughtered in Indonesian abattoirs. The Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry responded on 7 June 2011 and suspended all live Live export, animal exports to Indonesia "for slaughter following evidence of animal welfare abuses in some abattoirs". The ban caused beef scarcity and price-hikes in Indonesian markets, leading some in Indonesia to see Australia as an unreliable trade partner. Some 700,000 cattle are exported from Australia each year, the vast majority to Indonesia, and the meat and livestock industry feared that rural livelihoods could be destroyed if a blanket ban came into effect. After the ban, export dropped by 10–15%. A total ban lasted for 5 weeks. Indonesian officials blamed local abattoirs for not meeting the halal standards, which fuelled the debate about self independence. There is high demand for meat in Indonesia, due to the growing economy, and Indonesians sought to become less dependent and improve their own industry, including by having Indonesian owned cattle stations in Australia. Indonesia responded to the ban by imposing quotas, seeking to punish Australia, but primarily impacting the rural economy. Eventually, both countries managed to normalise relations, boosting hopes for the future. In November 2013, the Australian spying scandal on Indonesia prompted Indonesia to review its trade policy with Australia, including the live cattle trade. Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs,
Hatta Rajasa Muhammad Hatta Rajasa (born 18 December 1953) is an Indonesian politician who served as the Coordinating Minister for the Economy of Indonesia from 22 October 2009 to 13 May 2014. A member of the National Mandate Party (PAN), he previously served ...
, said that Indonesia should not depend on one country, and contemplated revising Law No. 18/2009 on Animal Husbandry and Animal Health, a country-based cattle importing system which favoured Australia. If it was revised, Indonesia could import cattle from other countries, except those not free from cattle mouth and feet disease, such as India. Other countries including Brazil and Argentina have expressed interest in supplying Indonesian beef needs.


Capital punishment

Australia last carried out a death sentence in February 1967 and Capital punishment#Abolition of capital punishment, abolition of the death penalty occurred as early as 1922 in the state of Queensland, with final abolishment in all jurisdictions by 1984. The death penalty in Indonesia has been permitted throughout its entire history, but no Australian citizen had been subject to it prior to 2015. The Australia-Indonesia Extradition Treaty agreed upon in 1992 precludes any extradition which might enable the death penalty to be carried out in either country. According to an
Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...
2009 guideline released under Freedom of information laws, Australian police are required to consider the likelihood of the death penalty being imposed when deciding whether to extend any cooperation with law enforcement agencies overseas. The
Bali Nine The Bali Nine were a group of nine Australians convicted for attempting to drug smuggling, smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan ( ...
case in 2005 resulted in six death sentences being imposed either at trial or on appeal. Four of these were struck down on further appeal. In January 2015, Indonesian President
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...
refused to grant pardon, clemency for Andrew Chan (drug smuggler), Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two remaining Australians facing death sentences after their convictions as the orchestrators of the enterprise. Australia pleaded with Indonesia not to execute the two Australians and some Australian tourists chose to boycott
Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
in protest. Prime Minister
Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...
called for Indonesia not to forget Australia's billion dollars worth of assistance following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Sukumaran and Chan were executed on 29 April 2015. In response, Prime Minister Tony Abbott recalled the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, and suspended ministerial contact for about six weeks.


Military

60% of Australia's exports pass by its northern approaches near Indonesia. Indonesia is also the most populous country neighbouring Australia, and is nearer by landfall to Australia than all countries excluding Papua New Guinea. A maritime boundary exists between Australia and Indonesia, and both countries have been concerned to definitively delimit that boundary for the purpose of protecting fisheries from encroachment, and determining the limits of responsibility for vessels found in that area. In response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which resulted in widespread damage across northern Sumatra and
Aceh Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
, more than 900 Australian military personnel were sent to provide humanitarian aid in the area. This included 15 air traffic controllers, C-130 Hercules, helicopters, and . In April 2005, a Royal Australian Navy Westland Sea King, Sea King helicopter 2005 Nias Island Sea King crash, crashed while attempting to land in Nias, resulting in the deaths of nine personnel. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was visiting Australia on a state visit at the time, bestowed posthumous medals of valour on the nine personnel killed in the crash, while four men from a nearby village, Tuindrao, were presented with Bravery Medal (Australia), Australian Bravery Medals for their response to the crash, which two personnel survived. They were the first Indonesians to receive the medal. In 2005, Australia's Special Air Service Regiment announced plans to resume cooperation with its Indonesian counterpart, Kopassus. The new partnership would involve an officer training and exchange program at the Campbell Barracks (Australia), SAS base in Perth, in addition to anti-guerilla training in Indonesia. The partnership had been cancelled in 1999 following allegations of Indonesian human rights abuses and violence during the 1999 East Timorese crisis, East Timorese crisis. The Lombok Treaty, a bilateral security agreement, was signed by Indonesia's foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda and his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, in 2006. The treaty commits both countries to cooperate and consult in the fields of defence and defence technology, law enforcement and combating transnational crime, counter-terrorism, and intelligence-sharing, as well as maritime and aviation security. A 2011 agreement between Australia and the United States to station up to 2,500 United States Marine Corps in Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin was met with concern by Indonesia. Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, foreign minister Marty Natalegawa highlighted the potential for the development to "provoke a reaction and counter-reaction", resulting in "[a] vicious circle of tensions and mistrust", while the head of Indonesia's military warned that a greater US presence in the region could increase tension over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. IKAHAN, the Indonesia-Australia Alumni Association, was founded in 2011 to improve people-to-people links between both defence forces. In 2012, Indonesia took part in Exercise Pitch Black, a biennial warfare exercise conducted by the Royal Australian Airforce. For the first time, four Indonesian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27s took part in the exercise, which also included military aircraft from Republic of Singapore Air Force, Singapore, Royal Thai Air Force, Thailand, Royal New Zealand Air Force, New Zealand and the United States Air Force, United States. The exercise marked the first time Indonesian military planes had appeared alongside those of a foreign country, and was described by both leaders as an example of "co-operation between Australian and Indonesian defence forces [going] from strength to strength". The same year, Indonesia accepted a gift of four Australian C-130 Hercules aircraft, a contribution intended to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations within Indonesia. Following the second "2+2" dialogue between Australian and Indonesian foreign ministers in April 2013, Australia agreed to sell an additional five aircraft to Indonesia at "Discounts and allowances#Special prices offered to friends of the seller, mates rates".


Diplomacy

The two countries have maintained diplomatic relations since the Netherlands' recognition of Indonesian sovereignty in 1949. Indonesia's first representative to Australia, Dr Usman Sastroamidjojo, was initially sent to Australia in 1947. Dr Usman returned to Canberra in 1949, opening Indonesia's embassy in the Hotel Canberra, before moving to a Embassy of Indonesia, Canberra, permanent building in Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory, Yarralumla in 1971. Indonesian Consul (representative), consulates are located in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, and honorary consuls are located in Darwin and Adelaide. The Indonesian Consulate in Darwin was first headed by the Honorary Consul, Mr Allen Keith Wilson (December 1974) and followed by Indonesian appointed Consuls : Mr Soedhoro (August 1980), Mr R. Soerodjo Pringgowirono (January 1982), Mr Benedictus Sarjono (September 1991), Mr Louis Roesli (April 2000), Mr Zacharias Manongga (2003), Mr Harbangan Napitupulu (2007), Mr Ade Padmo Sarwono (2012) and Mr Andre Omer Siregar (December 2014). Indonesia's current ambassador to Australia, Siswo Pramono, was appointed in October 2021. Australia's largest foreign mission is its Embassy of Australia, Jakarta, embassy in Jakarta; and there are Australian Consulates-General in
Denpasar Denpasar (; Balinese script, Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ, ''Dénpasar'') is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia. Denpasar is the largest city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second largest city in Eastern Indonesia after ...
, Makassar and Surabaya. Penny Williams (diplomat), Penny Williams, Australia's current Ambassador to Indonesia, was appointed in April 2021. Australia and Indonesia participate in the following multilateralism, multilateral organisations:


Education

In 2011, more than 17,000 Indonesian students were enrolled in Australian schools, universities, and vocational education, VET courses, the majority of whom were studying management, commerce, social sciences and hospitality. Through the Australia Awards, Australia offers more than 250 educational and professional development scholarships to Indonesians, an initiative which commenced under the
Colombo Plan The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri ...
. More than 10,000 Indonesian students have studied at Australian universities under the scholarship program, including the Vice President of Indonesia, Boediono, and Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa. In 2011, 455 Australian students studied at Indonesian universities, a quarter of whom undertook semester-long programs. The Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies, or ACICIS, was founded at Murdoch University in 1994 to develop and coordinate study programs for Australian students in Indonesia, at institutions including Gadjah Mada University, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, and Atma Jaya University. ACICIS was established to overcome academic, bureaucratic and immigration barriers that hinder Australian students to study in Indonesia. It also provides opportunities for cultural exchange. A 2019 ACICIS report stated that Indonesia ranked fourth most favourite country for Australian students in 2018 (with 1,402 out of a total of 14,522 Australian undergraduate students studying in the Indo-Pacific region). Indonesian language classes are taught in many Australia schools and universities. Between 1994 and 2002, funding provided by the Keating government, Keating and Howard government, Howard governments through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools Strategy doubled Indonesian language enrolments in schools and universities. A similar program was implemented by the First Rudd government, Rudd and Gillard government, Gillard governments with the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program between 2007 and 2012. Since 2001, however, enrolments have continued to decline. Between 2001 and 2010, enrolments dropped by 40%, with fewer students studying Indonesian in 2012 than in 1972. Australia identified Indonesian language studies as a 'nationally strategic language' in 2008, while a 2004 Australian Senate committees, Senate inquiry into Australia's relationship with Indonesia recommended it should be designated a "strategic national priority". The 2012 ''Australia in the Asian Century'' white paper further suggested that all school students should have access to one of four priority languages: Indonesian, Mandarin, Hindi and Japanese. As part of the IA-CEPA, Monash University and Western Australia University will establish campuses in Indonesia, the first foreign campus in the country, with the hope of establishing long-term cooperation in education, research and industry.


Culture


Media

Radio Australia, a division of the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
, produces Indonesian language programming broadcast on shortwave radio, by satellite, and online from studios in Southbank, Victoria, Southbank, Melbourne. In 2013, the potential closure of the station's shortwave broadcasts to Indonesia was flagged as a result of high costs and the growing popularity of news coverage online and through social media. A daily Indonesian-language breakfast program is broadcast, in addition to English educational programming. On the other side, Voice of Indonesia, an overseas division of Radio Republik Indonesia, produces shortwave radio programming to English-speaking audiences, including Australians. SBS Radio produces a regular Indonesian-language program targeted at Indonesian communities in Australia, while a number of newspapers, magazines and community radio stations including ''Ozip'', ''BUSET'', 3ZZZ and ''Buletin Indonesia'' also produce Indonesian-language content.
Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media (communication), media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The ...
and the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...
both have foreign correspondent, correspondents in Jakarta, while Indonesia's ''Kompas'' has a reporter in Sydney. The ABC was the first Australian news organisation to establish a bureau in Indonesia, establishing offices in Jakarta in 1961 led by Ken Henderson. Prior to this, Australian war correspondents covered World War II and the subsequent war of independence against the Netherlands. John Thompson, an ABC journalist, and Graeme Jenkins of the ''Melbourne Herald'' were amongst the first to be posted to the country. Indonesia was also covered from an ABC bureau in Singapore, led by Bruce Grant (writer), Bruce Grant and Colin Mason, from 1956. ''The Year of Living Dangerously (novel), The Year of Living Dangerously'', a 1978 novel by Christopher Koch, described the experiences of an Australian journalist covering the 30 September Movement in 1965. In the build-up to the
Indonesian invasion of East Timor The Indonesian invasion of East Timor, known in Indonesia as Operation Lotus (), began on 7 December 1975 when the Indonesian military (ABRI/TNI) invaded East Timor under the pretext of anti-colonialism and anti-communism to overthrow the Fre ...
in 1975, five Australian journalists were killed in the East Timorese border town of
Balibo Balibo is a town in East Timor situated approximately from the Indonesian border. It is located in the sub-district of Balibo, Bobonaro District. It was estimated by Human Rights Watch that 70 percent of the town was destroyed dur ...
. According to a 2007 Australian coronial enquiry, the journalists had been deliberately shot by members of the Indonesian special forces. According to Indonesia, the men were killed in cross-fire between the military and pro-independence militia. As the crisis escalated, Australian journalists from the ABC, Radio Australia and the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' were expelled from the country between 1976 and 1980. The ban continued until 1983, when the Australian Associated Press was again permitted a resident correspondent in Jakarta. David Jenkins, a journalist for the ''
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'', was expelled from Indonesia in 1986 following the publication of an article on corruption in Suharto's immediate family. The article, which compared the family's fortune with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, was published on the front page of the newspaper, and eventually led to the expulsion of Jenkins from the country until 1994. The ''Herald'' was not permitted to reopen its bureau in the country until 1995.


Sport

With the exception of participation in the Arafura Games, sporting ties between the two nations are insignificant. No Indonesian athlete or sporting team has achieved a high profile by visiting Australia. Popular Australian sports such as Rugby football, rugby, cricket, Australian rules football, swimming and netball raise little interest in Indonesia. Both countries maintain professional Football (soccer) leagues: Liga Indonesia and A-league. The two leading teams from the Australian A-League and the champions of the Indonesian Liga compete in the Asian Champions League.


Youth Exchange

The Indonesian Students Association of Australia, or ''Perhimpuan Pelajar Indonesia Australia'', was established in March 1981 as a community organisation for Indonesian students in Australia. The PPIA has chapters at major universities in most Australian states and territories. A reciprocal organisation, the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association, was established at the Australian National University in 2011, and now has chapters in all Australian capitals and Jakarta. The Australia Indonesia Institute, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, funds a number of programs designed to improve people-to-people links between young people, including the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and the Muslim Exchange Program.


See also

*Australian Aid *Australia–Indonesia border *Australia–Indonesia prisoner exchange agreement negotiations *
Bali Nine The Bali Nine were a group of nine Australians convicted for attempting to drug smuggling, smuggle of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005. The heroin was valued at around 4 million and was bound for Australia. Ringleaders Andrew Chan ( ...
*Foreign relations of Australia *Foreign relations of Indonesia *List of ambassadors of Australia to Indonesia *List of ambassadors of Indonesia to Australia *Merauke Five *Australia–Netherlands relations *Indonesia–Netherlands relations


References


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links


List of Australia-Indonesia Diplomatic AgreementsAustralia-Indonesia Institute, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and TradeAUSAID Australia-Indonesia PartnershipIndonesian Embassy, CanberraAustralian Embassy, JakartaMap of Australian maritime boundaries. Geoscience Australia, 2002Report of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, Australia-Indonesia Maritime Delimitation Treaty, November 1997 (Recommends ratification of the Treaty)

UNHCR TreatyList of UNHCR members
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-Indonesia Relations Australia–Indonesia relations, Bilateral relations of Australia, Indonesia Bilateral relations of Indonesia