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The Australian dream: Indonesians hopeful of gaining easier access to southern neighbor
During President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s visit to Australia earlier this week, visa reforms were one of the key issues raised in bilateral talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
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Know thy neighbor: Students from Western Australia color traditional Kamasan paintings in a studio in Denpasar, Bali. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Australia from Saturday to Monday to further cement the good relations between the two neighbors. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
I
ndonesians and Australians, despite their geographical proximity, still do not understand each other very well, says I Made Andi Arsana, an Indonesian scholar from Gadjah Mada University (UGM), who spent nine years living in the land down under.
As neighbors, an acknowledgement of their importance to each other has come fairly recently, in the form of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was fast-tracked by both sides amid warming ties.
One side of the relationship both countries are looking to improve is people-to-people connectivity, which officials – at least on the Indonesian side – insist could be immediately addressed by easing visa restrictions for Indonesians looking to travel to Australia.
During President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s visit to Australia earlier this week, visa reforms were one of the key issues raised in bilateral talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Morrison said Australia was committed to streamlining and simplifying the visa application process for Indonesians, although he did not elaborate on what visa types would be affected.
Australia’s working holiday visa restrictions were the first to be eased as a concession to Indonesia, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi announced on Tuesday, with Canberra agreeing to increase its quota for Indonesian nationals from 1,000 at present to 4,100 in the first year of the implementation of the CEPA, after which it will be gradually increased to 5,000.
The visa, one of the most popular among young Indonesians, is only available for tertiary educated people, aged 18 to 30, who want to travel and work for up to 12 months in Australia.
