Over recent weeks there has been a flurry of statements and announcements about “opening the Indonesian tertiary education sector to foreign universities”. I have seen this discourse ebb and flow over the past 25 years. The following summarises some of the most common arguments for and against this proposition. Proponents of the proposition argue in […]
Attitudes
ICOC Keynote: ‘Telling stories and sharing lives: Fostering connections between Australians and Indonesians’
The following is an edited extract of Dr Jemma Purdey’s Keynote Lecture at the Indonesia Council Open Conference, Flinders University, 3 July 2017 The spirit of this conference is not like any other you will possibly experience. Simply because outside of Indonesia itself, it is very rare to find so many scholars of Indonesia in […]
My opinion of Innovation
Innovation in developing countries, such as Indonesia, is rarely spoken of in many circles. It’s possibly because of the lack of knowledge about its meaning and how it applies in real life. I see innovation as the new way to solve any number of problems with different and unique approaches from our cumulative creative knowledge. […]
Minister Kelly O’Dwyer meets Indonesian finance leaders
One of the most senior groups of Indonesian finance industry leaders to visit Australia has held talks this week with some of the nation’s most influential company executives and government officials. A highlight for the 30 delegates was a meeting on Wednesday 26 October with the Federal Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, the Hon. […]
Learning the true meaning of cultural privilege
Living in Surabaya for four weeks in preparation for the upcoming Indonesia-Australia Research Summit was a privilege. Each time I visit, live or work in Indonesia my definition of privileged gets a reality check. Are you privileged if you own crystal glasses or are you privileged if your plastic cup is always full? The people […]
Australia Indonesia Perceptions Report 2016: “Indonesians and Australians not so different after all”
Indonesians and Australians share similar views on trade, education and tourism, according to a comprehensive Australia-Indonesia Centre (AIC) research report conducted by EY Sweeney released on Monday 15 August 2016. “It’s clear that Indonesia and Australia have more issues that unite them than divide them,” says Mr Harold Mitchell AC, Chairman of The Australia-Indonesia Centre. […]
Why Indonesia really matters
The story of Indonesia and Australia often focuses on differences – the cultural and religious divide, security issues, disparities in the structure and development of the economies, contrasts in business practices, small and large populations, issues of national sovereignty. You can judge each country positively or negatively from many angles and the countries do, of […]
Watch the Australia-Indonesia Attitudes Seminar ‘Analysing the Australia-Indonesia relationship: Past, present and future’
On May 18, 2016, leading scholars from Monash University presented fascinating research about the Australia-Indonesia relationship, covering societal, media and longitudinal attitudes studies. Introduced by Australia-Indonesia Centre Research Director Dr. Richard Price and hosted by the Centre’s Research Fellow Jemma Purdey, the seminar featured four researchers presenting two studies, as well as a robust question and answer session with […]
Remembering Sabam Siagian
Sabam Pandapotan Siagian – who passed away on June 3 – was a great friend of Australia. In Indonesia, Pak Sabam is mainly remembered as the first Editor-in-Chief of The Jakarta Post, the English-language paper he helped to set up (and which is still going strong). He was at heart a journalist, but from an […]