The PM was explicit about his desire to improve trade with Indonesia, though no one wants to say out loud why there’s such an emphasis on diversification. | James Massola | ANALYSIS auspol
: Anthony Albanese has embraced big business on his first trip to Indonesia, bringing the chief executives of some of Australia’s largest companies to Jakarta to send a clear message about the need for closer economic and political ties.and he would target small business owners, the prime minister was explicit about his desire to improve trade and investment between Australia and Indonesia, who are currently each other’s 13th largest trade partners.
Even his decision to head to Makassar, where no Australian prime minister has travelled before, was an economic one – the government wants to grow trade with eastern Indonesia, which is less developed, and Sulawesi’s capital is home to one of the largest flour factories in the world – an Indonesian-Australian joint venture.
“It’s a very large market, it’s a huge population with a good growth profile and for Australian business it’s definitely a market they should be considering,” he said. The prime minister has been in office for a little over two weeks but already he has travelled overseas twice, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong has madeAlbanese’s view is that repair work is needed on a series of Australia’s bilateral relationships, not just in the Pacific. He will undertake the trip to the Pacific Islands Forum next month and the details of another overseas trip are being finalised.
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