West Papuan refugee Amos Wainggai is on board the Freedom Flotilla, headed for Papuan shores from Australia. What will it mean for our relations with Indonesia?
AAP/Cleo Mary Fraser
Given the extreme sensitivity with which the issue of West Papua is viewed in Indonesia, the “Freedom Flotilla” heading from Australia to the Indonesian-controlled territory is sure to create tension…
It’s smart of Abbott to prioritise Australia’s relationship with Indonesia but can he leave his ‘Anglosphere’ past behind?
EPA/Adi Weda
Many foreign policy observers are apprehensive about the election of Tony Abbott. A key concern is that his government may be liberal in name only and that we may see a return to the sorts of policies…
Greg Hunt will face hurdles in his plan to stop rainforest logging, but there is much he could do now.
Rainforest Action Network
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt’s ambition to broker a new global rainforest recovery plan reopens an important conversation about Australia’s role in tackling tropical deforestation. And it…
Bali remains a popular tourist destination for Australians. But what do we really think about Indonesia?
Chong Eileen
Indonesia is one of Australia’s closest neighbours, but attitudes towards our southeast Asian counterparts are far from neighbourly. A recently released Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) report…
It involves dams, but so much more than dams.
Andrew Campbell
**Northern futures, northern voices: It seems everyone has ideas about how Australia’s north could be better, but most of those ideas come from the south. In this six-part weekly series, developed by the…
Relations between Australia and Indonesia may become strained as allegations of spying and failure to follow protocol on the Australian side are released.
EPA/Mark Irham
Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd’s so-called “PNG solution” to the asylum seeker issue has attracted much comment from within both Australia and Papua New Guinea. It has also stirred the pot in Indonesia…
1. Julie Bishop: Australia has the right to return asylum seeker boats to Indonesia “We cannot escape from the fact that they are Indonesian boats with Indonesian crews from Indonesian ports. Of course…
Kevin Rudd advocated a return to a strong live cattle export trade between Australia and Indonesia at a business breakfast in Jakarta on Friday. Maybe he thought the Australian public wouldn’t notice…
Kevin Rudd’s visit to Indonesia may yet mark a high point between the two countries.
An Australian prime minister visiting Indonesia is nothing new, but Kevin Rudd’s current visit is generating more than the usual amount of attention, coinciding with the DFAT release of its Indonesia Country…
Australian PM Kevin Rudd and Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will meet today to discuss the asylum seeker issue - what is the view from Indonesia?
EPA/Bagus Indahono
Today’s Indonesia-Australia Leaders’ Meeting - where Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd will meet with Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - takes place against a backdrop of the asylum seeker…
Australia enjoys a privileged relationship with most economies in the Asian region because of the integrated global value chain.
Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com
Australia is facing increasingly stiff competition from developed economies all vying for a share of the growth pie in the East and South Asian region, where Australia has integrated its value chain activities…
Has Australia’s relationship with Indonesia been damaged by domestic political debates such as that over asylum seekers?
NATSAR / AAP
Australia’s relations with Indonesia are at risk if the political discourse in this country continues to focus on border security issues expressed through domestic-driven, vote-garnering and media-grabbing…
Kevin Rudd and Australia would do well to pay more attention to our northern neighbour.
AAP Image
If there is one thing we know from Kevin Rudd’s first period as Prime Minister it is that he was comfortable on the international stage. Although he inherited the date in his diary from Julia Gillard…
Australia can break the people smugglers’ business model by changing its ‘prohibition regime’ policy approach.
AAP
As prime minister Kevin Rudd prepares to visit Indonesia and meet with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, he should bear in mind that the asylum seeker problem plaguing the Australian…
Just how much co-operation can Tony Abbott expect from Indonesia leaders on his plan to turn back asylum seeker boats?
EPA/Adi Weda
In the coming days, prime minister Kevin Rudd will visit Indonesia to discuss asylum seeker policy with Indonesian officials, including Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Rudd’s visit will…
New PM Kevin Rudd will meet with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Indonesia this week - do we see Indonesia as equal partners in our relationship?
AAP/Alan Porritt
New prime minister Kevin Rudd will visit Indonesia later this week for the third Indonesia-Australia Leaders’ Meeting. Rudd will seek to exchange military - and possibly developmental - aid for Indonesian…
Smoke from deliberately lit forest fires is destroying the health of Southeast Asians, and looks set to be a yearly event.
EPA/Amriyadi Bahar
Look at satellite images from Southeast Asia this week and you will see large areas of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore blanketed by dense plumes of smoke. These smoke plumes have severely degraded ground-level…
The Coalition remain steadfastly in favour of an asylum seeker policy that seeks to turn back the boats, but is this really feasible?
AAP/Jon Faulkner
There is not much bipartisanship in Australian federal politics these days, but the ALP and the Coalition are in agreement on one matter: the boats must be stopped. They just don’t agree on how to do it…
Indonesia and Australia ace many similar challenges, such as intense flooding.
AAP/Bagus Indahono
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman does not often make it into the Indonesian press, but he did in reports on the Queensland floods. These reports shared news space with coverage of the even more devastating…