RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya welcomed Australian Minister for the Arts Anthony Stephen Burke in Jakarta, underscoring both nations’ commitment to strengthening cross-sector partnerships in 2026.

“Indonesia–Australia creative economy cooperation has continued to grow year after year. We hope 2026 will mark an important phase to expand collaboration across subsectors and reinforce our strategic partnership,” Minister Riefky said in a press statement on Thursday, January 29, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

During the meeting, Minister Riefky highlighted key milestones achieved in 2025, including the 10th anniversary of the Australia–Indonesia Cinema Festival (FSAI), business matching initiatives in Sydney through the S’RASA program (Flavors of Indonesian Spices), and an agreement with Canva Inc. to support the empowerment of Indonesian creative professionals.

He emphasized that such collaboration aligns with Indonesia’s vision of positioning the creative economy as a new engine of growth, globally competitive and innovation-driven.

“We want this cooperation to help Indonesian creative players move up the value chain, connect with global markets and talent, and play a more active role in international value networks,” Minister Riefky added.

Looking ahead, both ministers discussed strategic plans, including preparations for an Australia Awards Indonesia short course in animation, the 11th edition of FSAI, and Australia’s participation in the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026.

Minister Riefky extended a formal invitation to Minister Burke to attend the WCCE in Jakarta.

Minister Burke welcomed the strengthened partnership, noting that creative economy collaboration between Indonesia and Australia offers vast opportunities.

“If we continue to share optimistic progress in our cooperation, this will be a very exciting time for both our countries,” said Burke, who also serves as Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, and Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. ***