Dennis Jensen (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister update the House on new opportunities to expand trade and investment with Indonesia? How will this help strengthen Australia's relationship with our important neighbour?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. Indonesia is one of the great rising economies of Asia. It is a $1.2 trillion economy which last year achieved a five per cent growth rate. It is the largest Muslim nation in the world, with modern, democratic leadership. It is a key partner to Australia on many of the most pressing regional and global security issues, including counter-terrorism and maritime security.

As close neighbours, Indonesia and Australia can and should do more to add greater weight to that partnership. Our priority is to build much stronger and broader trade and investment ties. So I was pleased to make Jakarta my first visit to Asia as Prime Minister. The reception from President Joko Widodo and his wife, Ibu Iriana, and the people of Jakarta could not have been warmer or more generous. The President and his wife, and Lucy and I, had very good broad-ranging discussions about growth, about jobs, about urbanisation and about investment. We discussed the priority we both attach to further expanding the people-to-people links.

Coming to people-to-people links, the highlight of that visit was when the President took me on a 'blusukan', which is what we would call, perhaps, a street walk or a visit to a shopping centre. This was to a local wholesale textile market which he had established as Governor of Jakarta. I have never witnessed so many people, so much energy, so many anxious security officers from both countries or so much enthusiasm for the President. It was one of the most exciting moments I have ever had in political life—the energy of the people in that centre and the enthusiasm for President Jokowi. As he introduced me, he kept on saying, 'Here is Prime Minister Turnbull—he is our friend. Australia are our friends.' It was a phenomenal gesture on his part and it showed the great commitment he has to saying Australia and Indonesia are very close friends. Of course, we discussed all the potential for trade, and, hard on the heels of that visit, Andrew Robb led an enormous trade delegation—four ministers and 350 Australian businesses—to last week's inaugural Indonesia-Australia Business Week.

The Indonesia-Australia relationship is getting stronger and stronger. It is built on people-to-people engagement, and I was delighted and honoured by the reception President Jokowi gave us on that day.