State Lunch in honour of His Excellency Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Admiralty House, Sydney
[The Governor-General delivered this speech in bahasa Indonesia. The English version appears below]
[Check against delivery]
I acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the Cammeraygal People of the Eora Nation, and pay my respects to their elders, past and present, emerging leaders and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders gathered here today.
- Your Excellency, Pak Jokowi, President of the Republic of Indonesia
- Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Good afternoon.
May I express our warm welcome to you, Pak Jokowi, at Admiralty House. We are very pleased to be able to receive you, and this time at our official residence in Sydney.
Your presence here in Australia on your fifth visit, Pak, is a testament to the close and friendly relations of our two nations.
Australia and Indonesia are linked not just by geography but by choice.
Our countries continue to choose to draw closer together, as economic partners, as security partners and as partners in the global transition to net zero.
Since we had the honour to host you at Government House in Canberra in February 2020, much has occurred globally and in our Indo-Pacific region.
Australia and Indonesia worked together to overcome the shared challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our two nations’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership strengthened further. The breadth and depth of our bilateral cooperation is an important contribution to the region’s peace, stability and prosperity.
Having been the first country to become an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1974, Australia is particularly pleased that Indonesia is chairing ASEAN this year.
Indonesia’s leadership at this crucial time in the Indo-Pacific will entrench the centrality of ASEAN in this region.
Australia is committed to supporting Indonesia as ASEAN Chair including through high-level attendance at the ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum.
Your visit to Australia to attend the Leaders’ Meeting further strengthens our enduring partnership and our continuing cooperation in regional forums.
I am pleased that our partnership has strengthened further while you have been President.
Our nations share a commitment to ‘open and rules-based trade’.
The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement lays the foundations for greater trade, investment and commercial ties.
And we will begin to implement the Climate and Infrastructure Partnership, drawing on the skills and resources of the private sector to accelerate Indonesia’s transition from fossil fuels to clean sources of energy.
With the easing of travel restrictions, it is heartening to see business, student and recreational travel returning to pre-COVID levels — greater mobility is in both our nations’ interests and economic recovery.
People-to-people links are one of the most enduring elements of our relationship. It was more than 70 years ago that the first cohort of Indonesian Colombo Plan scholarship recipients arrived to start their studies in Australia.
Today, Australia is one of the most popular overseas study destinations for Indonesians with almost 16,000 students in Australia. This is well complemented by a network in Indonesia of almost 200,000 Australian alumni. They will eventually join many more who have helped build a close bilateral relationship.
Indonesia is a vital education partner, and I am pleased that more Australian universities are following in the footsteps of Monash University whose entry to Indonesia had been announced during your last visit to Australia.
Investments such as these will support Indonesian students to build the skills demanded by the business world and in turn deepen the understanding of our two peoples.
May I express my confidence that the close, friendly and productive relations between our two countries will continue to prosper in the years to come…
…and convey our warm appreciation and delight to accept Your Excellencies’ gracious invitation to Linda and me to visit your fair country. We hope we can make this visit soon.
On behalf of the Australian people, Linda and I wish you every success for your visit.
Thank you.
[Ends]