Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to address the House.

His Excellency Mr JOKO WIDODO (President of the Republic of Indonesia) (11:57): (Translation) The Hon. Prime Minister, Scott Morrison; the Hon. Senator Scott Ryan; the Hon. Mr Tony Smith; the Hon. Anthony Albanese; honourable members of the Senate and the House of Representatives; distinguished guests and ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. G'day, mate! I am deeply honoured to stand before the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives of Australia.

Distinguished members, on 2 February, one platoon of the Indonesian Army Corps of Engineers, along with personnel of the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management, 40 personnel, departed Indonesia to New South Wales. They have only one purpose: to work hand in hand with the Australian people to overcome the bushfire crisis in Australia. At the same time, teams from Indonesia and Australia are currently discussing possible cooperation for weather modification. On 23 December 2019, I reaffirmed to Prime Minister Morrison a clear message that Indonesia will always be with Australia during this difficult time. Following the untimely passing of Prime Minister Morrison's father, myself and the people of Indonesia are grieving with Mr Morrison and his family. True friends are people who stay with you during the good and the bad times. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Australia never leaves Indonesia's side during times of disaster. The people of Indonesia will always remember when Indonesia was struck by a tsunami in 2004 in Aceh. Nine Australian soldiers, sadly, perished while assisting their grieving friends in Aceh. They are patriots. They are friends of Indonesia and they are heroes of humanity. Indonesia and Australia are destined to be close neighbours. We cannot choose our neighbours. We have to choose to be friends. Australia is Indonesia's closest friend.

Honourable members of parliament, 61 years ago, in 1959, Prime Minister Robert Menzies, during a visit to the University of Gadjah Mada, my alma mater, said, 'We have 10 times as much in common as we have in difference.' Despite the cultural differences between Indonesia and Australia, we share the same values: heroism; diverse ethnic groups and tolerance; democracy and respect for human rights as well as a commitment to protect the environment and beyond. The youth of Australia and Indonesia share similarities. Indonesia is currently entering a demographic dividend. There are 63 million youth aged 16 to 30 years, or 24 per cent of the total population. Most of them have a global outlook and are keen to collaborate and to innovate. Indonesia currently has one decacorn company and four unicorn companies, and the youth are the driving force. The young generation of Indonesia and Australia are brought up with similar values. They live in democratic settings. They are familiar with Netflix, Instagram and Facebook and actively exchange international perspectives. These form a strong foundation for shared values in building friendship at present and for the future.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the 70 years of friendship between Indonesia and Australia is by no means a short period. Seventy years is platinum age—a strong platinum friendship not only between the governments and the parliaments but also between the people of the two nations. We must continue to solidify our friendship. We both need to prepare ourselves for when Indonesia and Australia reach 100 years of partnership, three decades from now. The year 2050, one century of our partnership, will be a monumental year. In the year 2050, Indonesia and Australia will transform to become major players in the region and on the world stage. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, for instance, in the year 2050 the economy of Indonesia will become the fourth largest economy, with GDP around US$10.5 trillion. Indonesia will also become an emerging market with the world's third-largest middle class, but on the other side of the coin in the year 2050 the world will see more uncertainties. If this trend continues then the world in the next three decades will be even more disrupted. Global geopolitics and the geoeconomy are facing greater challenges. Stagnation of economic growth and even recession of the economy are looming large, and it is feared that the values of democracy and diversity are becoming more marginalised.

In the midst of enormous challenges, Indonesia and Australia must focus on strengthening our partnership. I'd like to propose a number of priority agendas as we head to one century of partnership. First, we must continue to advocate the values of democracy, human rights, tolerance and diversity—stop intolerance, stop xenophobia, stop radicalism and stop terrorism. Identity politics must be discouraged in our countries and globally, regardless of its religious, ethnicity or other identity basis. Identity politics is a threat to democracy, a threat to diversity and a threat to tolerance. These threats will become even more actual when exploited for short-term political interests, resulting in hatred, fear and even social conflict. As democratic and diverse countries, we must work hard, side by side, standing together to defend the values of democracy, tolerance and diversity and to prevent the world having a clash of civilisations.

Second, Indonesia and Australia must reinforce open, free and fair economic principles. Whilst protectionism is rising we must continue to advocate economic openness and fairness. Amidst the growing popularity of the zero-sum-game approach, we need to bolster a win-win paradigm. I very much believe an open and fair economic system will be beneficial for all. That is the reason I greatly welcome the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, IA-CEPA. 'Collaboration' is the keyword. Collaboration will create opportunities to develop new centres of economic growth and to find a solution for the global economic challenges. This is what Indonesia and ASEAN are projecting through the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific. This outlook will turn rivalries into cooperation. Thus the outlook will transform trust deficit into strategic trust. When correctly implemented, the Indo-Pacific region will become the future centre for global economic growth. Indonesia and Australia must become the anchors for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Third, Indonesia and Australia must become the anchors for development partners in the Pacific region. Indonesia understands the development challenges in the Pacific region. As a fellow island state, Indonesia faces similar challenges with countries in the Pacific region. Climate change and natural disasters, as well as social inequality, education, health and human resources development, are the real challenges facing countries in the Pacific region. Indonesia and Australia must become true friends for countries in the Pacific region, collaborating as development partners, addressing the impacts of climate change, alleviating poverty and social inequality, and creating new centres of economic growth in the Pacific region.

Fourth, we must work together to protect the environment, to achieve sustainable development and reforestation in forest and river upstream areas, to prevent forest and land fires, to commit to lowering carbon emissions and to develop renewable energy and other green technologies. Indonesia's plan to build a new capital city is part of the commitment—a smart city, a smart metropolis with green technology and friendly to the environment, whilst being part of the efforts to transform the economy, based on innovation, science and technology.

The collaboration in the Indonesia-Australia partnership in the midst of rising global uncertainties can be illustrated by the movie Avengers: Endgame. When the forces of good unite, the Avengers assemble and the common enemy can be defeated. When Indonesia and Australia continue to collaborate and come together against intolerance and protectionism, the fear of poverty and the threat of climate change can be overcome.

Honourable members of parliament, in addition to those four focus areas, the anchor for cooperation between Indonesia and Australia in 2050, three decades from now, rests in our youth. I would like to propose a notion of an 'Aus-Indo wave', an Australia-Indonesia wave for the youth of Indonesia and Australia. We need to promote the trend of close ties between Indonesia and Australia to our youth and we must encourage love for Indonesia amongst Australian youth and, vice versa, love for Australia amongst Indonesia's younger generation. Our youth today are the leaders of tomorrow. Investing in the young generation will further strengthen the Indonesia-Australia partnership. We already have great assets. Today there are 160,000 Australian students learning Bahasa Indonesia and 21,000 Indonesian youths studying in Australia. If this continues, the Indonesia-Australia partnership, which, in the year 2050 coincides with one century of our countries' partnership, will benefit not only our people, but also the world's.

To close, allow me to quote the famous Jimmy Little, an Aboriginal activist from Australia:

We're all gifted with the opportunity to succeed. But you get further if you extend the hand of friendship.

Through friendship, the relationship between Indonesia and Australia will not only benefit the prosperity of the countries but also our region and the world as a whole. Thank you very much.

Mr President, on behalf of the House, I thank you for your address. We all wish you a successful and enjoyable stay here in Australia. Can I thank the President of the Senate and senators for their attendance. I now invite the Prime Minister to escort our guest from the chamber. As the Prime Minister introduces the President, I'll suspend the sitting, but of course members should remain here while the introductions take place. The chair will be resumed at the ringing of the bells.

Sitting suspended from 12:14 to 14:30

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