Indonesia, Australia to Held Parliamentary Exchange and Democracy Partnership

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Indonesia and Australia have discussed a possible parliamentary exchange program that would allow Indonesian lawmakers to observe parliamentary practices firsthand in Australia and strengthen their capacity. It was raised when the Indonesian House of Representatives’ Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency met with a delegation from the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

Chairperson of the agency, Syahrul Aidi Maazat, said the exchange program is an effort to strengthen the capacity of Indonesian lawmakers by sharing experiences with the Australian Parliament. "Members of the House will later be invited to Australia to see firsthand how parliamentarians there work. We hope this will broaden the perspectives of our lawmakers," he said after the meeting.

He said the program would prioritize lawmakers serving their first term. He said the program would allow them to gain experience of parliamentary practices in another country.

"There will be one to two members from each parliamentary faction, particularly lawmakers who are serving their first term. We hope this program will broaden and expand the perspectives of our lawmakers," he said, as quoted from dpr.go.id.

The two sides also discussed Australia’s support for various programs aimed at strengthening democracy in Indonesia through grant schemes involving civil society organizations. Syahrul said Australia provides grants in partnership with NGOs working on democracy-related issues.

"The grants are then used for various discussions and programs aimed at strengthening democracy," he said.

During the meeting, the Australian delegation hoped that Indonesia would support the Australian Parliament leadership at the upcoming Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting. According to him, the request is part of ongoing communication between the two legislative institutions to strengthen bilateral ties and parliamentary cooperation.