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Australia’s first woman envoy in Jakarta begins term
Australia's Penny Williams was one of four ambassadors-designate to present their credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the State Palace on Wednesday, together with envoys from Ecuador, Ireland and Mauritius.
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Australian ambassador-designate to Indonesia, Penny Williams (left), hands over her letters of credentials to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Sept. 1, 2021 (Courtesy of Australian Embassy in Jakarta/-)
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ustralia’s new ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams, has begun her tenure in Jakarta after submitting her letters of credentials to the government on Wednesday.
She is the country’s first woman to hold the position.
Williams was one of four ambassadors-designate who presented their credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Istana Merdeka state palace in Central Jakarta, together with envoys from Ecuador, Ireland and Mauritius.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced her appointment in April to fill the position that was left by senior diplomat Gary Quinlan, who had completed his three-year term in Jakarta.
When asked about how she would continue the work of her predecessor, Williams said she came as herself and as the first Australian woman envoy to Indonesia.
“And also for me, it is like pulang kampung [homecoming]. Forty years ago I participated in a student exchange program in Indonesia and lived here for a year when I was in the second year of high school,” she said in fluent Indonesian, as recorded in a broadcast of her arrival by the Presidential Palace’s press bureau.
Williams is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was recently deputy secretary in the department. She has previously served overseas as high commissioner to Malaysia and was Australia’s first ambassador for women and girls.
Read also: Australia appoints first woman to become ambassador to Indonesia
She met with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi on Wednesday, during which the minister said they discussed plans for an upcoming two-plus-two meeting of the two countries, slated for sometime in the first half of September.
Williams said both Indonesia and Australia had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and should work together to recover.
“We've got lots to do in health security, but I think economic recovery is going to be really important for both of us. And I'm really committed to really driving the economic relationship between Australia and Indonesia. So that the prosperity of both of our countries can be improved as we recover from COVID-19,” she said.
Indonesia and Australia have worked together closely in the pandemic response, most recently when Indonesia was hit hard by the spread of the Delta variant.
At the time, Australia announced it was sending a package of supplies that included 1,000 ventilators, up to 700 oxygen concentrators and more than 170 oxygen cylinders worth A$12 million (US$8.9 million), as well as 40,000 rapid antigen test kits and 2.5 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses.
With the landmark Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) entering into force last year, the two countries expect the deal to buoy the post-pandemic economic recovery in both countries, particularly in terms of trade and investment.
