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View all search resultsDiplomacy in the time of coronavirus
Australia and Indonesia have some of the closest operational cooperation in our region.
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I
arrived in Indonesia three years ago and am now concluding my term as Australian ambassador. I fly out of Jakarta today at the end of my three years. COVID-19 has been a terrible disruption in those three years, but it has made starkly clear how important it is that our two countries maintain a strong and resilient partnership.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most disruptive event globally since World War II. The world after the pandemic will be more disorderly and less resilient. The world economy has suffered a very serious blow, poverty has increased and recovery will be a long road.
The pandemic revealed a lack of global leadership which has put a premium on greater cooperation between individual countries. That is best done between trusted partners.
Australia and Indonesia have that kind of partnership born of a long history together after 1945 when Australia was Indonesia’s strongest supporter globally for independence.
The immediate focus of our partnership is working together to come out of the pandemic.
Our early assistance for personal protective equipment, ventilators and related medical equipment – has now been complemented by our support for vaccines. We are providing support through a A$101.9 million (US$78.24 million) package, together with a further $80 million for the COVAX vaccine facility of which Indonesia is a member. Further assistance will be provided as part of our Quad partnership with the United States, Japan and India.
Early in the pandemic, we pivoted our development cooperation program to support Indonesia’s response, including in health, social protection, online learning, and disaster management. A loan of $1.5 billion provided fiscal support. Economic recovery, including building momentum for our businesses through the new Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) which came into force during the pandemic, is very much a top priority.
