House of Representatives Discusses Cooperation with Australian Official

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Australia's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Assistant Minister for Immigration, Matt Thistlethwaite, met with Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) during his visit to Indonesia. The meeting, held in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, covered various opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the two neighboring countries, including in the defense sector.

Member of the House, Utut Adianto, said the meeting with the Australian government delegation was an important opportunity to strengthen the strategic partnership between Indonesia and Australia through more concrete and mutually beneficial cooperation. He noted that as neighboring countries with increasingly close ties, Indonesia and Australia should continue expanding cooperation in areas such as education, the economy, defense, and people-to-people relations.

He said the discussion did not focus on specific issues in detail but instead centered on ways to deepen bilateral relations across a range of strategic sectors. He argued that the economic partnership between the two countries still has far greater potential than what has been achieved so far.

"The good relationship between our two countries is the best we've ever had, in my view. But it is still far from the true potential of what we can accomplish together," he said.

Utut also emphasized the need to strengthen defense cooperation with a focus on defensive capabilities. According to him, Indonesia and Australia, as neighboring countries, share a common interest in maintaining regional stability.

"It's not just about the military. The military is not for offensive purposes but for defense, which is what we need. After all, if anything happens, our closest neighbor is Australia," he said.

Utut, chairperson of the House's Commission I, also encouraged greater Australian investment in Indonesia as a way to create more formal employment opportunities. He said that while bilateral relations are already strong, there remains significant untapped potential.

According to him, one of Indonesia's most pressing priorities is generating more formal-sector jobs. He said increased foreign direct investment (FDI), including from Australia, would be an important driver of job creation.

"We urgently need more formal jobs. Those jobs will naturally grow if there is more foreign direct investment in Indonesia," he said.

The member of parliament added that Indonesia-Australia economic cooperation should not rely solely on existing commodity trade, such as Indonesia's urea fertilizer exports. He argued that many other sectors could be developed to create greater value for both countries.

In education, Commission I highlighted the importance of expanding cooperation. Utut said that around 25,000 Indonesian students are currently studying in Australia and expressed hope that opportunities could be broadened further, including through additional scholarship programs.

The two sides also discussed increasing the number of Indonesian students studying in Australia and expanding access to scholarships. They also talked about considerable potential to attract more Australian visitors to destinations beyond Bali.