Australia Indonesia Connections

ln early 2020, Australia and Indonesia entered an historic high point in their bilateral relationship. The President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, visited Canberra where he addressed the Joint Houses of Parliament, and meetings were held to put the final touches on the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Partnership Agreement (IA CEPA). Since then, tested by the COVID-1 9 pandemic crisis, the strength and depth of the Australia-Indonesia relationship—between governments, also business and community organisations and individuals—has come more clearly into focus. The people-to-people connectivity that has driven the Australia-Indonesia relationship is being re-imagined in creative, digital ways, and in the face of a global economic crisis IA CEPA is a bright spot for potential growth in trade and exchange. ln response to these trends and opportunities for deepening engagement, the chapters in this volume represent research undertaken by Indonesians and Australians working together as part of a collaborative research program initiated by the Australia-Indonesia Centre, with a focus on thematic areas, Youth and Education, and Business and Tourism, Digital Futures and Connectivity. Collectively, the research offers insights into what is driving Indonesia'sfuture with a focus on its young people—those aged 17-35 years are the largest single demographic group in Indonesia—digital technologies and an increasingly mobile middle-class. What is shaping the outlook of young Indonesians on the world and their relations with their regional neighbours, including Australia? How are Indonesians using digital technologies for social and commercial exchange in ways that are making them increasingly open to international connections?What kinds of experiences are Indonesia's increasingly mobile middle-classes looking for when they travel overseas for education or leisure? What does this mean in terms of opportunities for greater connectivity and exchange within the Australia-Indonesia relationship after the crisis has subsided and beyond?

This report summarizes the main issues in the bilateral relationship that have raised and discussed in the Indonesia-Australia Conference held in March 2001 by CSIS in cooperation with the Indonesia Project at the Australian National University.

Remarkable for its meticulous archival research and moving life stories, The Pearl Frontier offers a new way of imagining Australian historical connections with Indonesia. This compelling view from below of maritime mobility demonstrates how, in the colonial quest for the valuable pearl-shell, Australians came to rely on the skill and labor of Indonesian islanders, drawing them into their northern pearling trade empire. From the 1860s onward the pearl-shell industry developed alongside British colonial conquests across Australia's northern coast and prompted the Dutch to consolidate their hold over the Netherlands East Indies. Inspired by tales of pirates and priceless pearls, the pearl frontier witnessed the maritime equivalent of a gold rush; with traders, entrepreneurs, and willing workers coming from across the globe. But like so many other frontier zones it soon became notorious for its reliance on slave-like conditions for Indigenous and Indonesian workers. These allegations prompted the imposition of a strict regime of indentured labor migration that was to last for almost a century before giving way to international criticism in the era of decolonization. The Pearl Frontier invites the reader to step outside the narrow confines of national boundaries, to see seafaring peoples as a continuous population, moving and in communication in spite of the obstacles of politics, warfare, and language. Instead of the mythologies of racial purity, propagated by settler colonies and European empires, this book dissects the social and economic life of the port cities around the Australian-Indonesian maritime zone and lays open the complex, cosmopolitan relationships which shaped their histories and their present situations. Julia Martínez and Adrian Vickers bring together their expertise on Australian and Indonesian history to challenge the isolationist view of Australia's past. This book explores how Asian migration and the struggle against the restrictive White Australia policy left a rich legacy of mixed Asian-Indigenous heritage that lives on along Australia's northern coastline. This book is an important contribution to studies of the coastal, or Pasisir, culture of Southeast Asia, that situates the local cultures in a regional context and demonstrates how Indonesian maritime peoples became part of global migration flows as indentured laborers. It offers a hitherto untold story of Indonesian diaspora in Australia and reveals a degree of Indian-Pacific interconnectedness that forces us to rethink the construction of regional boundaries and national borders.

Following is an excerpt from this extensive & highly detailed guide by a lifetime resident of Australia. The guide covers all the hotels, restaurants, sights to see and activities, from beachgoing to hiking, kayaking to exploring the Outback and the cultural attractions. Australia's largest state takes up nearly a third of the continent, filling some 2,525,250 square kilometers with a diverse mix of extreme and wonderful landscapes. The balmy seaside capital of Perth and its thriving southern suburb of Fremantle, where 1.4 of the state's 1.8 million residents live, are spread along Australia's southwest edge, just north of the Cape Naturaliste hook. South of here, lush river valleys and coastal parks stretch east for more than 1,620 km, while north of Perth, along the rough edge of the Indian Ocean, towns are far and few, with vast natural parklands coloring in the empty spaces between them. The country's westernmost town, Coral Bay, lies halfway up the coast, from where the land cuts back east and north toward Port Hedland and Broome. And still the state sprawls on, further northeast through the great, dry plains of the Kimberley, and south through endless expanses of gold and red desert. Within these great, barren stretches and along the coastlines, however, are hidden treasures that for the past century have fueled much of Australia's economy. The famous goldfields, where fortune-seekers thronged in the late 1800s, surround the southern Outback city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Mineral sands and deposits of bauxite, the source for the country's massive aluminum industry, are tucked along the state's southwest edge. Around the Kimberley, or the far northwest, natural gas is the abundant resource, tapped in enormous quantities from the Northwest Shelf. The Pilbara, along the north-central coast, has the world's most extensive iron-ore deposits. And this is all not to mention the world-famous pearls found offshore of Broome, which rack up some US$200 million in yearly exports alone, or the Argyle Diamond mine of the same region, which produces more diamonds a year than anywhere else on the planet. In short, this is a massive state where riches and resources are only just being discovered. Million-hectare cattle stations stretch far and wide; broad national parks with million-year-old natural phenomena take their places in patchwork fashion around them; and thousands of kilometers of desolate, unexplored lands fill the gaps in between. You could wander here for a year and not run into a soul if you were well-prepared, or you could skirt between desert, ocean, and river excursions. There's plenty of history and culture surrounding every settlement, too, providing for a well-rounded adventure experience that delves deep into a very unique blend of environments. With more than 63 national parks, bushwalking is the number-one activity, followed closely by four-wheel-drive adventures. The entire state is edged by the ocean, with magnificent reefs around the center, so diving and snorkeling, boating, windsurfing, and other watersports are all possibilities. Historic cultural excursions take place in the center and the far north Aboriginal lands, while modern encounters might have you wine-tasting through the southwest Margaret River vineyards. You can cycle around the coast, rock climb and abseil in the rugged mountains, explore caves in the central region, camel trek in the desert, kayak the southern rivers, dive and snorkel along remote reefs, and surf chic Perth swells or lonely Pacific bays. The possibilities are as endless as the land, for the state is only just being chiseled into a major adventure destination, and it's a place where you truly have the chance to trail-blaze, get lost, and discover something entirely new about the world - and your own character within it.

Following is an excerpt from this extensive & highly detailed guide by a lifetime resident of Australia. The guide covers all the hotels, restaurants, sights to see and activities, from beachgoing to hiking, kayaking to exploring the Outback or the cultural attractions of Sydney. Flying into New South Wales, it''s undeniable that Sydney''s spectacular setting is simply one of the world''s best: A melding of lushly green parklands, classic historic buildings, and polished modern architecture set back from the glistening water. Gliding above the city shows the spider''s web of highways and bridges linking the sprawling mass of civilization, which extends more than 12 mi/20 km along the Port Jackson inlet. Some four million Australians live here, and 10 million more tourists flood into Sydney each year; little wonder, with attractions ranging from famous museums, gardens, and zoos to dozens of dazzling beaches. And the activities are endless: Bush hiking and bike tracks, harbor cruises and water excursions, and high-powered flights above the whole scene. In short, Sydney is the country''s showpiece for holiday and adventure. The continent''s most active port city, Sydney actually sits inland of the Pacific, around nine mi/15 km inland from the coast along the Port Jackson waterway, which itself is carved into numerous smaller islands and bays. Surrounding the harbor are great patches of pine and semi-tropical forests, which quickly lead up into the bumpy foothills of the Great Dividing Ranges. This is eucalyptus territory, where the arid environment of blue gums is colored by a heated haze given off from the leaves; hence the region''s name OCo the Blue Mountains. Also, of the more than 70 national parks throughout New South Wales, more than a handful are settled right around Sydney itself OCo the coastal Royal National Park, the northern Wollemi National Park, and the western Blue Mountains National Park among them. With its diverse personalities, multicultural flavors, and sophisticated yet down-to-earth airs, Sydney offers something for every traveler. It''s a place where history, culture, activities, and adventure are blended into a well-run and engaging metropolis where locals take pride in their heritage and guests are welcomed like friends. Massive transport systems provide a choice of city-wide links that are clean, quick, and cheap; food runs from simple Australian to worldly gourmet, and endless accommodation options spread from ocean to mountains. With 224 million acres/80 million-plus hectares, the large state of New South Wales has a continually changing landscape which delves into some of Australia''s best scenes. The classic, golden-sand beaches form a string along the east coast, getting more tropical the farther north you travel toward Queens land, or becoming more rocky and chilled the farther south you head toward Victoria. The mighty Murray River forms the southern border, stretching a watery band of blue along the northern edge of Victoria, and providing sustenance to some of both states'' richest farms, grazing grounds, and wine regions. The Darling and Murrumbidgee also feed the dry western plains, and offer a string of charming settlements to explore along their edges. The Great Dividing Range runs parallel to the continent''s edge, curving down all the way from the far north tip of Queensland through New South Wales and on down to Melbourne. Included within the peaks are the Blue Mountains just outside of Sydney, as well as the Snowy Mountains in the far south of the state. And the mountains are indeed a dividing factor in the country''s atmosphere, not only in visual landscape from eastern beaches to western plains and deserts; they also form a border between the balmy ocean settings and the scorched western Outback. Fertile farmlands and orchards are tucked into the folds of the mountains, while the state''s famous vineyards spread out through the glistening river valleys."