This was stated by Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartanto during a meeting with Australian Industry and Science Minister Ed Husky on Monday.

Aligning with Indonesia’s focus on downstreaming critical minerals, Minister Husis commented

”Indonesia and Australia share the same spirit to foster a strong and diverse clean energy supply chain. Moreover we also both wish to build battery manufacturing and processing industries for crucial minerals.”

As of now, the two countries have agreed to advance a mutually beneficial cooperation within the realms of battery manufacturing, critical mineral processing and other aspects of the EV ecosystem through ratifying a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on EV cooperation, signed during Minister Husic’s visit to Jakarta in November 2023.

Furthermore, to support emission reduction targets via carbon capture storage (CCS), the Indonesian government will oversee the realization of investments by Australian companies who plan to utilize depleted oil and gas fields in Aceh as a solution to capture and store CO2 emissions.

Minister Airlangga expressed his appreciation and gratitude for Australia's support in various international forums, which includes Indonesia's membership in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), significant progress in Indonesia's accession process to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and negotiations in the Indo-Pacific Economic Forum (IPEF).

Airlangga also said Indonesia was currently considering potential membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The bilateral meeting held at the Park Hyatt Hotel Melbourne in New South Wales, Australia, also discussed the progress of various priority cooperation projects between the two countries. Most notably in the education sector, Australia once again demonstrated its strong commitment in supporting the development of Indonesia's human resources.

Following the success of establishing Monash University in Tangerang, Banten, in 2022, several Australian educational institutions are currently in the process of establishing their own campuses in Indonesia. These institutes include the Western Sydney University in Surabaya, East Java, Deakin University in Bandung, West Java, and Central Queensland University in Balikpapan (Nursing program), East Kalimantan, offering joint research programs and cooperation in digital fields related to artificial intelligence (AI).

Indonesia welcomes various cooperation offers from Australia, with Minister Airlangga stating that Indonesia was very open to cooperation in vocational education and training (TVET) through the establishment of vocational training centers with Australian standards in order to enhance workforce capacity and promote job creation.

During the meeting, Airlangga also invited Husic to visit Batam, Riau Islands province, and see the Apple Academy alongside the digital talent training cooperation Indonesia has in place with the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), as well as to discuss in more detail the cooperation offered.

Also present at the meeting were the Australian ambassador to Indonesia, the secretary of the Coordinating Economic Ministry and the international economic cooperation deputy of the Coordinating Economic Ministry.

Lastly, in addition to the bilateral meeting with the Australian industry and science minister, Airlangga is also scheduled to lead a CEO meeting, and will attend the Business Forum and Reception of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), as well as accompany Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in various events at the ASEAN - Australia Special Summit 2024.

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