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Labor win in Australia sparks Indonesian hope for fresh relationship
Indonesia-Australia analysts pin their hopes on closer ties, but also warn of potential tensions if certain issues like climate change and human rights remain unaddressed.
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Australia's new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, gestures as he walks off the stage during a reception after winning the 2022 general election in Sydney on May 21, 2022. (AFP/Wendel Teodoro)
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ndonesia has pinned its hopes on more policy alignment with the new Australian government, after Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese was sworn into the premiership on the promise of a progressive climate policy and of putting immediate neighbors at the heart of its foreign policy.
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.
Read also: Indonesia chides Australia as Indo-Pacific tensions rise
