Registration

Please register through the Eventbrite registration form. This conference will be held in person at The University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus, Melbourne, Australia, and for those outside Melbourne online via Zoom. Zoom can be downloaded for free online.

RSVPs are essential and we will use this to collect RSVPs from anyone from outside Melbourne who wants to join over Zoom. If you prefer attending via Zoom, links and more detailed instructions will be sent to all registrants to panels closer to the event.

We look forward to seeing you at Australia - Indonesia in Conversation:  New Governments in Indonesia and Australia: Domestic Challenges, Global Regime Changes & Geopolitical Tensions, on 25 July 2024.

Conference Agenda

Australia-Indonesia in Conversation
New Governments in Indonesia and Australia: Domestic Challenges, Global Regime Changes & Geopolitical Tensions

Yasuko Hiraoka Room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, The University of Melbourne
Thursday 25 July 2024
10 am - 2:30 pm AEST


10 am - 10.05 am: Welcome Remarks
Professor Andrew Rosser (University of Melbourne) & Dr Wawan Mas’udi (Universitas Gadjah Mada)

10.05 - 10.15 am: Opening Remarks
Ms Penny Williams, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia (video)
H.E. Mr Siswo Pramono, Indonesian Ambassador to Australia (video)
Mr Kuncoro G. Waseso, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia, Victoria and Tasmania

10.15 am - 12.00 pm: Panel 1 - New Governments: Domestic Challenges & Bilateral Relations

In this panel, experts from Australia and Indonesia will share their expertise and insights into the challenges faced by the two countries. Since 2022, the new government under Prime Minister Albanese of the Labour Party has brought different approaches to dealing with domestic issues in Australia. In 2024, Indonesia elected Prabowo as its new President. This panel will discuss the benefits and constraints of institutional and policy responses to domestic challenges. It will also discuss the impact of the new governments on the socio-political and economic relations between the two countries.

Chairs: Associate Professor Rachael Diprose (UoM) and Dr Desintha Dwi Asriani (UGM)

Speakers and Topics:

  • Dr Nurhadi, Tauchid Komara Yuda and Dr Bahruddin  -  ‘Welfare Policy in Prabowo Administration: Scaling Up or Down-sizing?’
  • Dr Fina Itriyati, Dr Astri Hanjarwati, and Dr Jamil Suprihatiningrum -  ‘Women with Disabilities after COVID-19 in Yogyakarta: Navigating Complexities between Work and Household Responsibilities’
  • Professor Sally Young - ‘Media policy and practice in Australia’
  • Professor Mark Considine - ‘Indonesia’s Bureaucracy – Where to Next?’
  • Dr Angie Bexley (via Zoom) - ‘Advancing Collaborative Ambitions: Reshaping Research Pathways’
  • H.E. Siswo Pramono, Indonesian Ambassador to Australia

12 pm - 12.30 pm: Lunch Break

12.30 pm - 2.15 pm: Panel 2 - Indonesian and Australian Responses to Global Challenges: Regime Changes & Geopolitical Tensions

This panel will discuss how Australia and Indonesia respond to global challenges, as more than 60 countries hold elections, and an estimated 50% of the world's population is expected to vote in 2024. Some argue that in many places, the election year of 2024 is a battle between democracy and autocracy, which could lead to increased political tensions. The discussion will also cover how both countries face the increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific region along with AUKUS’s alleged plan for expansion to include Japan and China's increasingly assertive measures in the South China Sea.

Chairs: Dr Ken Setiawan (UoM) and Dr Bahruddin (UGM)

Speakers and Topics:

  • Professor Poppy S. Winanti - ‘Indonesia's Foreign Policy in the Face of Global Challenges under the New Government’
  • Dr Randy W. Nandyatama - ‘Indonesia and ASEAN Responses to Geopolitical Tensions’
  • Prof. Maria Rost Rublee - ‘Constructing Security in the Indo-Pacific: Australian Perspectives’
  • Dr Pradeep Taneja - ‘Australia-China Relations under the Albanese Government’
  • Professor Vedi Hadiz - ‘Democracy, Oligarchy and Populism’

2.15 pm - 2.30 pm: Closing Comments and Thanks