Media Release
3 December 2007
Australia-Indonesia Policy Research Forum:
Leading Australia-RI Minds Working Together to Improve Governance
On 3 December, 32 of the most prominent researchers from both countries will present their joint findings on a range of topical governance issues at the Australia-Indonesia Policy Research Forum in Jakarta.
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, said that Australia and Indonesia’s leading academics are working more closely than they ever have before to address priority governance issues in Indonesia under a A$6 million Australian Government joint research program.
“This program is the most significant two-way collaboration between Australian and Indonesian intellectuals I have seen to date. I hope it would have a considerable positive impact on Indonesia’s ongoing economic and democratic development,” Farmer said.
The Forum, to be opened by Trade Minister Mari Pangestu and Ambassador Farmer, is the key annual event of a collaborative research project – the three-year Australia-Indonesia Governance Research Partnership, administered by the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University (ANU).
The program aims to strengthen public-policy making in Indonesia through further quality research on governance issues, to promote collaboration among leading academics from Australia and Indonesia, and to build local research capacity – particularly among young academics.
Participants in the Forum will include senior government officials, heads of international organisations and representatives from universities, policy think-tanks and the media.
The 16 initial research projects that received grants in 2007 and that will be presented at today’s Forum cover issues such as corruption, local government and decentralisation, electoral administration, post-disaster recovery, Islamic law, public sector reform and Indonesia’s economic outlook.
“I hope the research would provide a major boost to policy development in Indonesia, given the quality of researchers from both countries awarded grants in 2007,”
“I also welcome the contribution this program will have in strengthening the capacity of local researchers in regional areas of Indonesia, and in stimulating young Indonesian and Australian scholars to pursue research careers on Indonesian governance issues,” Farmer said.
Five young scholars from Indonesia and five from Australia have been selected under the project’s Young Scholars Program to participate in today’s Forum, and in a young scholars workshop later in the day.
The Forum will be chaired by Prof. Andrew MacIntyre, head of ANU’s Crawford School and a professor of political science, who himself has undertaken considerable research on the political economy of South-East Asia and Australian foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region.
The scholars from Australia and Indonesia who will present their research findings at today’s Forum include Hadar Gumay, Dr Greg Fealy, Prof Azyumardi Azra, Prof Charles Sampford, Dr Vidhyandika Djati Perkasa, Prof Richard Robison, Prof Hal Hill, Surya Tjandra, Dr I Ketut Putra Erawan, Prof Mark Turner, Dr Edward Aspinall, Dr Simon Butt, Dr Catur Sugiyanto, Dr Budy Resosudarmo, Dr Asep Suryahadi and Dr Nunung Nuryartono.
Each of the 32 scholars will be available to discuss their findings with media participants in the media centre following each presentation.
Further Information:
Mia Salim (Public Affairs, AusAID) 0812 107 0237