Albanese wraps up two-day Indonesia visit

Andrew Brown | June 7, 2022

Anthony Albanese has declared his two-day visit to Indonesia a success, saying Australia was getting work done to boost relations with its Asian neighbour.

Stopping in the eastern port city of Makassar, the prime minister said the trip signalled the government’s intentions to improve ties with Indonesia after multiple efforts by Australian leaders.

“We’ve started getting it done, the presence here of not just myself but my ministers, business leaders as well, has sent a very clear message,” Mr Albanese told reporters on Tuesday.

“We’re acting to make sure that we maximise the economic opportunities from engagement in our region, but also that we deal with the challenges which are here in our region.”

The second full day of the prime minister’s visit saw him give a speech at a university in Makassar in front of alumni and faculty members.

Hundreds of residents lined the city streets to catch a glimpse of the prime minister as he made his way through the area.

Mr Albanese is the first Australian leader to visit Makassar.

He said it was critical to emphasise the relationship with Indonesia extended beyond Jakarta and Bali.

In the speech, Mr Albanese said Australia’s relationship with Makassar went back centuries, via Indigenous people and visiting fishermen.

“What was most striking was that it built on mutual respect, a relationship of equals,” he said.

“It laid down the foundation stone for people-to-people contact that is at the very heart of Australia’s relationship with the people of Indonesia.”

The prime minister noted the Makassan fishermen were the first Muslims to visit Australia, also mentioning the visiting delegation included Australia’s first Muslim minister, Ed Husic.

The industry minister was travelling with the prime minister, along with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Trade Minister Don Farrell and Darwin MP Luke Gosling.

Mr Albanese then visited the governor of South Sulawesi for formal talks, before finishing off the trip by visiting a flour mill, one of the largest in the world, which uses Australian wheat.

With business leaders expressing interest in boosting investment ties with Indonesia, the prime minister said the trip was an indication of the importance of the region to Australia.

“It is clearly in Australia’s national interest to boost that investment,” he said.

“Australia in terms of Indonesia as a trading partner is 13th on our list. It should be much higher.”

The trip to Indonesia comes amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, with China aiming to sign security partnerships in the area with Pacific island nations.

Mr Albanese said recent events underscored the need to diversify trade with countries such as Indonesia and India.

“Both of them have enormous opportunities.What we’re seeing in both countries is significant economic growth, significant growth in the middle class as well,” he said.

“That represents a huge opportunity for our region … These two economies stand out.”

The prime minister met Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday, with the two leaders discussing trade, climate change and regional issues.

During the visit Mr Albanese committed to attending the G20 summit hosted by President Widodo in Bali later this year.

He also flagged a delegation of Australian superannuation fund representatives would visit Indonesia in coming weeks to look at investment opportunities.