TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

New agreement to let RI students work in Australia on tourist visas

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata (left) talks to Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Chris Evans (center) and Home Minister Bob Debus in Jakarta on Wednesday

Abdul Khalik (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, August 7, 2008

Share This Article

Change Size

New agreement to let RI students work in Australia on tourist visas

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR: Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata (left) talks to Australia’s Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Senator Chris Evans (center) and Home Minister Bob Debus in Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

Indonesian students will be able to work in Australia using tourist visas, under an agreement soon to be signed by the two countries.

"Indonesian students can work in Australia for three to four months while on holiday. Of course, it depends on the jobs available there and Australia's needs," Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata said after meeting with Australia's Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Evans and Home Minister Bob Debus here Wednesday.

"The same goes for Australian students," he added

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two countries has been agreed on and is ready to be signed, said Kristiarto Soeryo Legowo, director for East Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign Ministry.

He said the MOU did not specify in what areas Indonesian or Australian students could work, although both countries hoped the students would find employment in fields where they could enhance interpersonal relations.

The MOU will be signed early next week, when the two countries' foreign ministers meet in Jakarta, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.

During their talks, Indonesia and Australia also successfully implemented a border movement alert computer project called the Enhanced CEKAL System.

Evans said the Enhanced CEKAL System was made in partnership between Australian and Indonesian immigration services and represented an example of close cooperation to enhance border security.

"The CEKAL system is an Indonesian system used in ports and offices in Indonesia, and also in embassies and consulates around the world, to check the names of people applying for visas or entry permits," he was quoted as saying in a press statement from the Australian Embassy.

Evans said the system was a major upgrade to the previous one and was now operational at five Indonesian ports: Jakarta, Denpasar, Surabaya, Medan and Batam.

The system enables more reliable detection of people of concern and assists in the prevention of people smuggling and irregular migration.

"Projects like these help make travel in the region safer and more secure," he said.

The embassy said the project cost about A$10 million and that an additional A$2.4 million was allocated in 2008-09 to provide support and maintenance of the project until 2010.

Other measures to enhance regional cooperation on border security were also high on the agenda during the ministers' meeting.

"We are doing a lot together to improve border security, including through forensic document examination training and initiatives to detect people who seek to travel on fake or altered passports," Evans said.

The Australian government delegation also met senior Indonesian Foreign Ministry officials, as well as the regional representatives of the International Organization for Migration and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) later Wednesday.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.