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.
Indonesia-Australia ties: Time to turn trust surplus into tangible gains
Amid the global shocks and turmoil of today, Indonesia and Australia have signaled a shift in their relationship to one based on democratic values, trust and trade, heralding a true partnership between equals with the potential to bring stability to the Indo-Pacific.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
President Prabowo Subianto (right) gestures on May 15, 2025, while addressing a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Merdeka Palace in Central Jakarta. (AFP/Bay Ismoyo)
M
ore than a decade ago, I wrote in this newspaper that the Indonesia-Australia relationship had long been weighed down by what I called a “trust deficit”.
Historical episodes have eroded confidence and fueled mutual suspicion. Many Indonesians perceive Australia as too quick to judge and too slow to understand. Australians, in turn, have often struggled to move beyond stereotypes about Indonesia’s political and religious complexity.
Despite being neighbors and natural partners, Indonesia and Australia have often struggled to find enduring synergy. Issues such as Australia’s asylum policies, military training controversies and intelligence misreading have historically undermined bilateral goodwill. In turn, segments of the Australian political establishment and media have occasionally portrayed Indonesia as unstable or opaque; an image that stands in contrast to Indonesia’s emergence as a robust, pluralist democracy.
This legacy of mistrust has taxed the two countries’ relationship over the years. From the East Timor intervention in 1999 to recurring trade imbalances, moments of convergence have often been followed by periods of cool detachment. Yet the trajectory since the early 2000s reveals a gradual maturation, spurred in part by leadership willing to challenge the old narratives.
Fast-forward to when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made his first visit to Jakarta last month after his reelection: It marked more than just another diplomatic tour. It was a moment of reassurance, an affirmation that Indonesia was no longer viewed merely through the lens of border security or regional unpredictability but as a true partner in shaping the future of the Indo-Pacific region.
Something is changing.
Albanese has taken a different approach. His warm rapport with President Prabowo Subianto, who himself has emphasized Australia’s value as a "friend and partner", signals a genuine desire to build trust at the highest levels.
