Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the Republic of Indonesia, 29 July to 4 August 2018, and seek leave of the House to make a short statement in connection with this report.

Leave granted.

I now wish to table the parliamentary delegation report on the Indonesian visit of 29 July to 4 August. The members of the delegation were Ms Sharon Claydon MP, member for Newcastle; Senator Patrick Dodson, senator for Western Australia; Senator Dean Smith, senator for Western Australia; Ms Paula Waring, delegation secretary; and myself, Ken O'Dowd, member for Flynn and leader of the delegation.

Indonesia has a current population of 262 million and it's growing at five million a year. It's a nation made up of 17,000 islands. Unfortunately, there are still many people living below the poverty line and surviving on less than $5 a day.

It was very interesting to learn that people from the South Sulawesi islands had been sailing in their boats—seven sails—on the monsoon winds to northern Australia and Arnhem Land. This practice continued over many centuries, and their relationship with the Australian Aboriginals was great, as they exchanged culture and traded their wares.

I would like to thank all members of the delegation for their time, contributions and participation in the very busy week—first in the west in Jakarta and then in the east at Makassar in South Sulawesi. I would also like to thank the ambassador, His Excellency Gary Quinlan; the deputy ambassador, Allaster Cox; Consul-General Richard Matthews; and their staff. They gave us a very warm welcome and extended their hospitality to the people of Indonesia, cultivating of goodwill, ensuring the visit was very well organised and making the delegation to Indonesia informative and a learning and sharing experience for us all.

See this speech in context