Australian Ambassador Paul Grigson Visits Surabaya

The Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, begins a two-day visit to Surabaya today to meet political and business leaders, Australian university alumni, and local students.

During the visit, Ambassador Grigson will also meet the Governor of East Java, Dr H. Soekarwo, and visit a Madrasah junior high school and the famous Al-Akbar mosque.

“As the largest province in Indonesia outside Jakarta, East Java plays an integral role in Indonesia’s economic prosperity. The range of trade and economic links with Australia are rapidly expanding, as are the cultural exchanges between Australia and Indonesia’s second city,” Ambassador Grigson said.

Ambassador Grigson will also visit Premier Hospital built by Australian company Ramsay Health Care, which has a state-of-the-art Stroke Unit and Intensive Care and Cardiac Centre.

While in Surabaya, Ambassador Grigson will explore Australia’s rural development program, the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Promoting Rural Incomes through Support for Markets in Agriculture (PRISMA). PRISMA is part of the Government of Indonesia’s strategy to speed up poverty reduction through increasing the net incomes of smallholder farmers in eastern Indonesia.

Ambassador Grigson will also meet the director and staff at a women’s crisis centre, which is supported by the MAMPU Program, a joint initiative of BAPPENAS and the Australian Government.

The Ambassador will join students and academics at Sepuluh November Technology Institute (ITS) to examine the students’ entry in the annual World Solar Challenge being held in Darwin 18-25 October. See link: http://solarcarteam.its.ac.id/

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