Archived Media Release
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Leader of the House

13 December 2010

Visit to Strengthen Regional Transport Safety and Security

Tomorrow I travel to Jakarta to continue the dialogue and collaboration with the Indonesian Government on our joint efforts to make the skies and waterways within our region even safer.

My two-day visit is all about strengthening the strategic relationship with one of our most important neighbours and discussing ways we can work even more closely together to improve transport safety standards.

On Wednesday I will join with the Indonesian Minister for Transportation, Freddy Numberi, to formally sign an extension to our Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation in the Transport Sector through which Australia will provide a further $14.5 million towards training and other initiatives such as joint search and rescue exercises.

This new funding builds upon the $24 million allocated in 2007.

In addition I will be meeting with Minister Numberi and the Directors-General of Sea Transportation, Railways, Civil Aviation, Land Transport as well as other senior officials from the country’s transport safety and security agencies.

Each year more than 1.3 million people travel between our two countries, with millions more using the various modes of transport to get around the vast archipelago that is Indonesia. Our joint efforts over the last three years have been about making sure they all arrive at their destinations safely.