Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me associate myself with the comments from the member for Melbourne about the importance of us protecting and respecting the rights of all our citizens whilst we deal with public health crises.

I want to comment on the address yesterday to this House by the President of Indonesia, Mr Joko Widodo, which was a remarkable occasion of deep significance. It was the second time an Indonesian President has addressed a joint sitting of the House and the Senate. The first, you'll recall, being when President Yudhoyono spoke to this chamber in 2010. And, as members would be aware, this is an honour that the Australian parliament only rarely accords to foreign leaders. I believe, in fact, this makes Indonesia one of only three countries—the others being the United States and the United Kingdom—whose leaders have addressed this parliament on more than one occasion. I think this speaks volumes about the importance we, here in Australia, attach to our relationship with Indonesia. Indeed, there are few countries in the world which matter more to Australia. Indonesia is one of Australia's most vital and important partners. It's a relationship that, despite a long history—we were alongside Indonesia at the time of independence—is only now just beginning to realise its full potential.

This is one of those relationships where there is always more to be done, always new areas of cooperation to identify and always greater linkages to be made. But I'm pleased that Indonesia now commands the attention it deserves within our government. Indonesia is our largest northern neighbour, occupying a position of immense strategic importance to Australia. It's the fourth-most populous country in the world and home to one of the world's largest Muslim populations as well as a number of other faiths and religions. It has an economy of about US$1 trillion and is forecast to become one of the world's larger economies in the years ahead. For these reasons, and for many others, Indonesia matters to Australia.

I'm pleased to see the amount of engagement underway between our two nations, in ways that will strengthen our ties and serve both of our interests. In 2018 we established the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Indonesia. We have the Lombok Treaty of 2006, which remains the bedrock of our defence and security relationship. We now have annual leaders' meetings with Indonesia—a very good thing. And, just over the last few weeks, we are now on the cusp of a new chapter in our economic relationship with the imminent entry into force of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. This agreement has the potential to significantly step up our economic relationship and help realise its unmet potential, for whilst we enjoy about $18 billion in two-way trade with Indonesia, we are both low down in the rankings of trading partners with one another. Indonesia is Australia's 14th largest trading partner and accounts for only some two per cent of our exports. As the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties states in its report on this agreement, Indonesia's large population, rapid urbanisation, emerging middle class, economic growth and geographic proximity to Australia all suggest the trade and economic relationship should be more mature than it is. I hope this new agreement, IA-CEPA, helps us realise this potential, and I believe the announcement by Monash University that it will open the very first foreign campus in Indonesia is a great portent of things to come.

Beyond this, we are cooperating in many other areas of mutual interest for both our nations. We continue to cooperate closely on counterterrorism, with Australia providing strong support to the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation and with 17 AFP officers posted to Indonesia. We share Indonesia's concerns about developments in the South China Sea, including continued militarisation of disputed features, and we reaffirm with Indonesia our joint support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law—most particularly, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS.

The true test of any relationship though, just like the true test of any friendship, is whether you can count on each other when the chips are down. Many here would be aware of the assistance we provided to Indonesia following the awful tragedy of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and in the wake of many other natural disasters that have befallen Indonesia. We did it because we care deeply about the Indonesian people. It is with the same sense of friendship that Indonesia has sent us military engineers to help in our bushfire fighting effort this summer. It's the gesture of a true friend and it is much appreciated.