Over the last decade or so, Jakarta has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Canberra that has fluctuated from extremely tense to practically cordial, partly due to the “revolving-door” of premierships that underscored the polarizing character of Australian politics.

Most recently, the personal relationship between the leaderships of both countries has been put to the test by Australia’s increasing reliance on Western allies to help buffer it against Chinese influence, despite making good on a landmark free trade agreement that opens market access for Indonesia and Australia.

Canberra’s actions resulted in the AUKUS security pact with the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as increased activity in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a foreign policy forum grouping Australia with the US, India and Japan. Such moves have raised concerns in Beijing and even Jakarta.

Albanese immediately took off on Monday on his maiden overseas trip as premier to join a meeting of the Quad in Japan that was arranged prior to his election victory. However, he had promised on the campaign trail that he would pick up former premier Paul Keating’s policy of putting Indonesia at the very top of Australia’s diplomatic priorities.

Historically, Labor has had greater regard for Indonesia, most notably under Keating’s leadership throughout the 1990s, said international relations expert from Gadjah Mada University, Dafri Agussalim. This relationship started during the Cold War era, when Keating became hesitant to work with Western powers and turned his head “east” to Indonesia.

But while Indonesian officials might seem enthusiastic about the potential economic boons to be enjoyed by both countries, Dafri said that the Albanese administration would most likely focus on matters typically seconded after economy-related discussions.

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