Indonesia, Australia Boost Education Links and Trade Ties in Prabowo–Albanese Meeting

President Prabowo Subianto met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Friday.

According to a release from the government’s Communication Office (Bakom), the meeting served as a momentum to reinforce bilateral relations that have long been underpinned by cooperation across sectors, particularly education and the economy.

Citing data from the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Friday, Indonesia–Australia relations have continued to grow, marked by rising student mobility, deeper university partnerships and a sharp increase in the value of trade between the two countries in recent years.

Education cooperation

Education has remained one of the central pillars of the Indonesia–Australia partnership. In 2025, about 24,000 Indonesian students were recorded as studying at various Australian universities. In total, more than 200,000 Indonesians have pursued education in Australia.

Indonesia is also among Australia’s largest sources of international students. Each year, the Australian government provides around 220 scholarships and short programs through the Australia Awards Indonesia scheme.

Several Australian universities have also begun opening campuses and running collaborative programs in Indonesia, including Monash University in Jakarta, Western Sydney University in Surabaya and Deakin University in Bandung.

The presence of these campuses is part of Australia’s stated commitment to supporting Indonesia’s human capital development.

Education cooperation between the two countries also includes several strategic programs. The Australia–Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program connects schools from both countries for joint learning initiatives, teacher training and exchanges of experience.

In addition, the Innovation for Indonesian School Children program, known as INOVASI, is a basic education collaboration aimed at strengthening literacy and numeracy. The program entered its third phase for the 2024–2027 period with funding of $55$ million Australian dollars.

At the higher education level, the two countries run joint campus and joint program schemes to strengthen academic collaboration and research.

Meanwhile, various scholarship schemes continue, including the Australia Awards Scholarship, LPDP–Australia Awards, and the Australia–Indonesia Youth Exchange Program, which promotes youth exchanges and leadership development.

Economic cooperation

On the economic front, Indonesia–Australia relations are supported by the Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), which entered into force in July 2020. The agreement has encouraged growth in trade and investment between the two countries.

Two-way trade increased significantly from $12.91$ billion Australian dollars in 2020 to $35.38$ billion Australian dollars by the end of 2024. Throughout 2024, Australia was recorded as Indonesia’s ninth-largest partner by two-way trade value, totaling $16.13$ billion Australian dollars.

In the same year, Indonesia posted a trade surplus of $3.13$ billion Australian dollars against Australia. In the 2024–2025 period, Indonesia also became Australia’s ninth-largest trading partner, with trade valued at around $34.83$ billion Australian dollars.

Trade growth has also been reflected in exports. Over the past five years, Indonesia’s exports to Australia rose by around $14.46$ percent, while Australia’s exports to Indonesia increased by $17.42$ percent over the same period.

On investment, Australian investment in Indonesia reached $1.36$ billion US dollars in 2024. In the opposite direction, Indonesia’s investment in Australia was recorded at $1.42$ billion US dollars in the same year.

The economic relationship is also strengthened by people-to-people mobility. In the 2024–2025 period, around $1.75$ million Australians visited Indonesia, making tourism one of the drivers of bilateral economic ties.

Indonesianpost.com | Antara