Institute Celebrates 20 Years Fostering Australia-Indonesia Friendship

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer congratulated the Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII) on its success in fostering links between the two countries during official celebrations in Jakarta yesterday to mark the Institute’s 20th anniversary.

“Over the past two decades, the Institute has fulfilled a unique and vital role in fostering friendship and understanding between our two nations. In this new era of Australia-Indonesia relations, with deeper and broader engagement across many sectors, the work of the Institute is more relevant and important than ever,” said Ambassador Farmer.

The AII Board is visiting Indonesia this week to celebrate the Institute’s 20th anniversary, with Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr Hassan Wirajuda delivering the keynote address at the official 20th anniversary dinner on Tuesday which also featured a special art display by Indonesia’s talented artist Heri Dono.

“It is a pleasure for the Board to be in Indonesia with our Indonesian friends and colleagues who have been working in partnership with us over the last two decades to build bridges of understanding between our countries,” Chairman of the AII Board Professor Tim Lindsey said.
Established in 1989 by the Australian Government to promote bilateral people-to-people links, the Institute has supported a large number of projects in the arts, music, education, youth, civil society, inter-faith, Australian Studies, media and sports sectors.
The Board is also scheduled to visit Surabaya to meet teachers and students at a local school which is participating in the AII’s ground-breaking BRIDGE school partnership program.

Funded jointly by the Australian Government and the Myer Foundation, the program aims to build links between teachers and students through school visits, teacher training and internet-based curriculum and communication.

More information about the AII and its work is available at http://www.dfat.gov.au/aii/

Media inquiries:
Fiona Hoggart, First Secretary (Cultural) mob. 0811 936 302