Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is no country more important to Australia than Indonesia, and under the Albanese government the relationship has never been stronger. The recently signed Australia-Indonesia Treaty on Common Security marks a historic moment and signals a new era for the Australia-Indonesia relationship. As Prime Minister Albanese has said, this treaty is a watershed. It was a personal initiative of the Prime Minister and President Prabowo, a sign of the deep trust and close friendship between our leaders and governments. Australia and Indonesia are the closest of partners; we share an unbreakable bond. The Australia-Indonesia relationship is based on friendship, trust, mutual respect and a shared commitment to peace and stability in our region. This new treaty builds on the achievements of Paul Keating and Gareth Evans and their counterparts, President Suharto and Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, in their agreement on maintaining security, signed 30 years ago in 1995. And, indeed, it goes further, instituting leader-level consultations.

This treaty demonstrates the strength of the Australia-Indonesia partnership and the depth of our trust and cooperation. It's a depth and strength that are reflected in our shared history. Long before a word of English was ever spoken on Australian soil, members of the Yolngu language group in Arnhem Land were conversing with Malay- and Indonesian-speaking traders and fishermen from Makassar who had come to Australia in search of trepang—sea cucumber. This first exercise in Indonesian-Australian engagement resulted in the Yolngu language adopting a series of Malay loan words that are still in use to this very day. Australia is also proud to have been amongst the earliest and strongest supporters of Indonesian independence, both through the diplomatic actions of the Chifley government at the United Nations and through the actions of Australian mariners and dockworkers who blocked Dutch vessels with the boycott that began in Sydney Harbour through the trade union movement. Australia was a friend of Indonesia at its moment of birth, and we remain friends today.

The signing of this treaty represents a high-water mark in our international engagement with Indonesia, but at home we face a complex challenge to make the most of this treaty. The institutions of Australia's Asia capability, our ability to understand and be effective in our region, are in decline, and the challenge is most acute when it comes to Indonesia. Asia capability is a vital sovereign capability for our nation. It must be a national priority, and it's why the Moore report—Australia's Southeast Asia economic strategy to 2040recommended with its first recommendation:

National Cabinet should consider developing a whole-of-nation plan to strengthen Southeast Asia literacy in Australian business, government, the education and training system, and the community.

The Albanese government has lifted our diplomatic, defence, development and economic engagement with our region to unprecedented levels, using all of the tools of statecraft to maximise our influence in the region. But, to operationalise this treaty on common security, we need more Australians who know our neighbour, friend and strategic partner deeply, including its history, culture, society and, importantly, language.

Today, unfortunately, Indonesian studies at our schools and universities are in crisis. In 2023, there were less than half as many high school students studying Indonesian in Australia than there were when the Garnaut review started our Asia capability journey in 1989. This is despite the fact that the number of Australian high school students today is around 40 per cent bigger than in 1989. Of the more than one million Australian domestic students at Australian universities in 2023, barely 500 students were enrolled in Bahasa Indonesia nationwide. Stakeholders say that Bahasa Indonesia teaching in Queensland is functionally extinct, with only two senior secondary schools in Queensland left teaching Indonesian at year 12 level in 2026. Some experts have warned that, without urgent intervention, we'll see the end of Bahasa Indonesia teaching in Australia nationwide by 2031. That's in the next term of government.

Indonesian studies in Australia are facing an existential crisis. We need to do better. Australia's security and prosperity rely on our ability to make our own way in Asia. As the Prime Minister has said:

No country is more important to Australia—or to the prosperity, security and stability of the Indo-Pacific—than Indonesia.

Given this, there is no country that is more important for Australia to understand than Indonesia. We should be the best country in the world for understanding Indonesia, not fighting to save it.

The treaty on common security recognises the best way to secure peace and stability in our region is by acting together through engagement and dialogue, but dialogue and engagement are a two-way street. Indonesians have the phrase bertepuk sebelah tangan tidak akan berbunyi, or one side clapping will not make any sound. To get the most of this treaty, both Australia and Indonesia need to be the best partners they can be. We should make the signing of this landmark treaty the moment we start turning around Indonesian studies in Australia.

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