Archival bonds with Indonesia set to 2019

David Fricker, Director General of the National Archives of Australia; Greg Moriarty, Australian Ambassador to Indonesia and Mustari Irawan, Director General of the National Archives of Indonesia, after the signing of Archives MoU Cooperation in Jakarta.

The National Archives of Australia further strengthened connections with the Indonesian national archive, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on archives cooperation.

Under the MoU, Australia and Indonesia will continue to collaborate on developing staff skills, sharing professional resources and participating in scholarly and cultural exchanges.

The five-year MoU builds on Australia’s rich tapestry of connections with Indonesia covering more than 60 different areas including the economy, education, technology, health, science, law enforcement, defence, intelligence and security.

In the digital age, it is fitting that the first initiative focuses on policies and systems for the effective management of digital records.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Greg Moriarty, witnessed the signing of the MoU this month in South Jakarta.

‘This agreement signifies the growing strength of the relationship between these two important national institutions and opens the way for further cooperation and exchange.’

‘Formal links between institutions and the professional relationships formed between their staff members are an important element of the Australia–Indonesia relationship,’ the Australian Ambassador said.

‘I am looking forward to seeing outcomes of the Australia–Indonesia collaboration in this important field of record collection and management,’ he said.

The MoU was signed by Mr Mustari Irawan, Director-General of Arsip Nasional Republik Indonesia and Mr David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives of Australia on 17 June at ANRI headquarters.

‘The signing of this MoU renews the long-standing relationship between our institutions at a time when we, as national archives, are supporting our governments in the transition to a digital economy,’ said Mr Fricker. ‘It is essential that we embrace new technology and collaborate to do the very best for our people, our governments and our region.’

Mr Irawan agreed and said the MoU ‘strengthens the bond between our institutions and illustrates the strong relationship between Australia and Indonesia’.

Copies were signed in both English and Bahasa Indonesia.

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