Author: CAUSINDY

Join us: limited registration for “Portrayals in the Media” panel

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media

We’re excited to open up a limited number of additional places for the general public to join this year’s panel on Portrayals in the Media, featuring Fairfax’s Michael Bachelard, PortalKBR editor Citra Dyah Prastuti, Tempo’s International Editor Purwani Dyah Prabandari,
Dr Ross Tapsell and moderated by news anchor and journalist Beverly Gunawan, SCTV/Liputan6.

Panellists will discuss the role played by mass media and social networks in shaping public opinion, the role of major media outlets in influencing election outcomes, and the growing importance of social media for election campaigns.

Register for this event →

The event will take place at 4pm on Sunday, September 14, at a location in central Jakarta to be confirmed next week. To express your interest in this event, please register using our online form. Places are available for the first 100 attendees to register, so get in early!
We’ll be providing free artisan coffee by One Fifteenth and other snacks for guests to enjoy before the 4pm start.

Speakers

  • dewifortunaanwarMichael Bachelard, Indonesia Correspondent at Fairfax Media

    Michael Bachelard is the Indonesia correspondent for Fairfax media, publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age. Prior to his posting to Indonesia worked as a political reporter and workplace relations writer for 24 years

    In 2005, Michael was awarded a Jefferson Fellowship. He is also a Walkley and Quill award-winning journalist. The Walkley awards recognises excellence in Australian journalism and the Quill awards, reward excellence in Victorian journalism.

    Michael is the author of two books. His most recent book ‘Behind the Exclusive Brethren’ is a non-fiction book focusing on the sect ‘Exclusive Brethren’ in Australia. Michael is a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) graduate from the Australian National University.

  • dewifortunaanwarCitra Dyah Prastuti, Editor of PortalKBR.com

    Citra Dyah Prastuti has been a journalist with KBR (Radio News Agency) for more than 10 years. Starting out as a reporter, then editor, producer and broadcaster for live talk shows, news bulletins and an magazine show. In 2005, she pursued her Master’s degree in Critical Media and Cultural Studies in SOAS, University of London through the Chevening scholarship. She blogged extensively about her life while studying in London and in 2010 published her online stories in a book titled “Cheers, UK!” (Gagas Media).

    In 2011, she received a fellowship from the ABC’s Radio National to produce a radio documentary, exploring the life of a woman and the reality of family planning in West Java in “Eros, Mother of 25 Children”. Tthe following year, her one-hour radio documentary “Timor’s Lost Generation” was broadcast by Radio National. She also teaches radio investigative journalism at the University of Indonesia and provides training for the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and Indonesian Association for Media Development (PPMN). She now leads the online platform of KBR, PortalKBR.com.

  • Dr Ross Tapsell, Lecturer at Australian National University

    Dr Ross Tapsell researches the media in Indonesia and Malaysia. He was a recipient of the Australian Government Endeavour Postdoctorate Award, where he conducted research on press freedom and media ownership in Indonesia.

    He has been a Visiting Fellow at The University of Indonesia, Airlangga University (Surabaya) and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Jakarta). He has also worked with The Jakarta Post and the Lombok Post.

    Ross began lecturing at the School of Culture, History and Language in 2011. His book, By-Lines, Balibo and the Bali bombings: Australian journalists in Indonesia, will be published in 2014.


  • Purwani Diyah Prabandari, Journalist at Tempo

    Purwani Diyah Prabandari is a journalist of Tempo International Media, a publisher of Tempo magazine (Indonesian and English) and Koran Tempo daily. During her time at Tempo, she has been involved with the politics and international sections. Previously she also spent her 3 years as bureau chief in Bandung dan Yogyakarta in 2007-2010.

  • She is the recipient of several fellowships including Journalism and Democracy Course by Centre for Democratic Institute in Australia (2000) and Medialink Fellowhip, a journalist exchange program by Asialink in Australia, 2004. She also a fellow of International Visitor Program to the USA by USIA in 1997 and Senior Journalist Seminar of East West Center, US, 2009. Prabandari holds a bachelor degree of International Relations from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

Delegates announced for CAUSINDY 2014

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Today, the CAUSINDY team is excited to announce the thirty young leaders who will join us for our second conference in Jakarta this year.

The Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth is an initiative of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association, with sponsors including the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales and Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

See this year’s delegates from Australia and Indonesia.

This year’s delegates will bring a diverse range of perspectives to CAUSINDY 2014, with experience in fields from biochemistry and international development to defence, law and public policy.

This year’s conference is based around the theme “Right time to reset: Learning from the old and bringing in the new” — in a year when the bilateral relationship has been marked by political turmoil, delegates emphasised the importance of personal experiences and the opportunity to develop a deeper more strategic relationship based around sharing knowledge.

ACICIS Resident Director Elena Williams says that the most important thing will be “forging meaningful relationships with each other that last”. Pandu Utama Manggala, an Indonesian diplomat, agrees. “I have seen that by interacting with each other [through] open and frank discussion, students are able to enrich each other’s understanding and perspective of the two countries, cultures, and peoples.”

Security analyst Fitri Timur says that trust is important “as a base for forging strategic partnerships especially in the security sector” while political risk and investment advisor Mirza Natadisastra says that by working together the two countries can develop a pool of knowledge across education, infrastructure, bureaucratic governance and trade”

In its second year, the CAUSINDY committee received a record number of applications, with more than 200 applications received from candidates in Australia and Indonesia.

Conference co-founder and director Karina Akib said, “As new leaders take their roles in both countries, young leaders will have the opportunity to shape its future. With President Jokowi taking office this October, the value of new ideas has never been greater.”

In 2014, CAUSINDY will present an exciting and diverse program, with high-profile speakers from government, business and academia including vice-presidential advisor Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Melbourne University’s Professor Tim Lindsey, John Riady, the director of Lippo Group and Chief Editor of Tempo Arif Zulkifli.

The conference is an initiative of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association, itself led by a team of early career professionals from both countries. For more information, contact the team or visit our about page.

Application deadline extended for CAUSINDY 2014

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Due to the overwhelming number of last-minute applications received for this year’s Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth, the CAUSINDY team has decided to extend this year’s application period t midnight on Monday the 7th of July.

Submit an application →

Now in its second year, CAUSINDY 2014 will be our biggest program yet, with speakers including:

  • Professor Dr. Dewi Fortuna Anwar, the Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs to the Vice President of Indonesia and a prominent commentator on Indonesia politics.
  • Professor Tim Lindsey, Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law at the University of Melbourne and the Director of the Australia-Indonesia Institute.
  • Two leading figures in the Australia-Indonesia business relationship: Mr John Denton, the CEO of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, and Mr Chris Barnes, managing director of ICON Indonesia.
  • Mr Arif Zulkifli, the Chief Editor of Tempo Magazine and MrMichael Bachelard, Indonesia Correspondent for Fairfax Media.

CAUSINDY’s theme this year will be “Right time to reset: Learning from the old and bringing in the new“.

Start your application →

We look forward to your contribution!

Michael Bachelard to join CAUSINDY 2014

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Byline-picToday, we’re excited to announce that Michael Bachelard, Indonesia Correspondent for Fairfax Media, will join this year’s panel on portrayals in the media. Currently based in Jakarta, Michael is a Walkley and Quill award-winning journalist with extensive experience covering politics and industrial relations.

Despite decades of official engagement, the Indonesia-Australia relationship remains underdeveloped. The media on both sides of the ocean has a role to play in addressing this by making realistic, considered portrayals of both countries. But media alone can never be enough. The only way to build real relationships is through the work of ordinary people” Mr Bachelard said.

Interested in joining CAUSINDY 2014? Applications to become a delegate are now open.

About Michael Bachelard

Michael Bachelard is the Indonesia correspondent for Fairfax media, publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age. Prior to his posting to Indonesia worked as a political reporter and workplace relations writer for 24 years.

In 2005, Michael was awarded a Jefferson Fellowship. He is also a Walkley and Quill award-winning journalist. The Walkley awards recognises excellence in Australian journalism and the Quill awards, reward excellence in Victorian journalism.

Michael is the author of two books. His most recent book ‘Behind the Exclusive Brethren’ is a non-fiction book focusing on the sect ‘Exclusive Brethren’ in Australia. Michael is a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) graduate from the Australian National University.

Q&A with Alison Martin

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Alison Martin is an adviser to the European Climate Foundation, based in Sydney, advocating for more effective policy and action on climate change. She has worked in communications, media, marketing and development for a range of organisations in Australia, the UK and Indonesia, including a member of the New South Wales Parliament.

3196645Alison holds a Masters degree in Human Rights Law and Policy from the University of NSW and a Journalism degree from the University of Technology Sydney. She was an AusAID Australian Youth Ambassador for Development based in Jakarta, where she worked for a local NGO and World Vision Indonesia.

Alison has also written about the Australia-Indonesia relationship for outlets including SBS News and New Matilda.

How did you first get involved in the Australia-Indonesia relationship? Where do you see it headed?
I participated in the Australian Youth Ambassador Program through AusAID. As Communications Consultant with World Vision Indonesia, I supervised a communications project for development programs in the field, including interviewing and gathering information from community members and staff, undertaking research and making recommendations.

I was also Media and Communications Adviser for a local Indonesian NGO where I consulted on policy, media and communications strategy and also helped to coordinate humanitarian response. This included travel in Java to evaluate microfinance projects, and to Padang following the earthquake in September 2009, helping to coordinate the installation of water treatment units in some of the worst affected villages.

In terms of where the Australia-Indonesia relationship is headed – I hope that we can learn from recent years when we’ve seen the bilateral relationship suffer at a government level, revealing even greater need for strong people-to-people links at other levels and in other sectors. A truly cooperative relationship between Australia and Indonesia needs to have stronger and deeper connections between individuals and groups across a range of sectors and areas in order to withstand weaknesses at the government level. The relationship is about so much more than whether or not the two leaders happen to get along.

How did CAUSINDY change your perspective on the Australia-Indonesia relationship?
My background in the Australia/ Indonesia relationship was in the development/aid sector so Causindy provided an opportunity to meet people from other sectors that play important roles – government, business, the creative industries and more.

What advice would you share with anyone thinking of applying this year?
Go for it! CAUSINDY is an invaluable opportunity to connect with a range of passionate and talented people, including leading experts and commentators on the Australia/Indonesia relationship. But more importantly, it’s a unique opportunity to connect with people who love karaoke as much as you do.

Interested in joining CAUSINDY this year? Applications to become a delegate to CAUSINDY 2014 are open until the 1st of July, 2014.

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Professor Tim Lindsey to speak at CAUSINDY 2014

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tim_lindsey2The CAUSINDY team is excited to announce that Professor Tim Lindsey will be returning to CAUSINDY in 2014, joining our special Q&A event, ‘Transforming the Relationship‘. Professor Lindsey is arguably Australia’s foremost expert on Indonesian law, and a high profile advocate for a broader and deeper bilateral relationship.

Last year, he spoke about “two speed” nature of the current bilateral relationship, and we look forward to him joining us again in 2014.

Interested in hearing Professor Lindsey speak? Applications to become a delegate to CAUSINDY 2014 are now open.

About Professor Tim Lindsey

Professor Tim Lindsey is Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and founding Director of the Centre for Islamic Law and Society at the University of Melbourne. He is also chair of the Australia-Indonesia Institute, an advisory board within the DFAT and was a member of the Reference Group for the National Asian Languages and Studies in School Program. In 2006, Tim received a Carrick Teaching Awards Citation for his work with international students and in 2007 the Malcolm Smith Award for Excellence in Teaching. A founding editor of The Australian Journal of Asian Law, he has written extensively on Indonesia.

His publications include include Indonesia: Law and Society; Corruption in Asia: Rethinking the Governance Paradigm; Chinese Indonesians: Remembering, Distorting, Forgetting; and Law Reform in Developing and Transitional States. In 2012, he published a three volume series Islam, Law and the State in Southeast Asia (I: Indonesia, II: Singapore; III: Malaysia and Brunei), andThe Indonesian Constitution: A Contextual Analysis.

Q&A with Natalie Sambhi

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Natalie Sambhi is an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute focussing on Australia-Indonesia relations, and the editor of its blog The Strategist. Natalie’s research interests include political and security affairs in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Natalie will join CAUSINDY again in 2014, moderating this year’s panel discussion on defence and security.

Tell us a bit about your own background.

After graduating with degrees in Asian Studies and International Relations, I briefly worked at the Department of Defence and lived in Indonesia. Being passionate about defence, I founded my own blog Security Scholar in 2010 and started writing more about military and security issues.

I’ve now been an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) for two years where I focus on Australia-Indonesia relations. I’m also proud to be an editor of ASPI’s official blog, The Strategist.

How did you first get involved in the Australia-Indonesia relationship? Where do you see it headed?

My mum’s family is Indonesian so I had no choice but to get an early exposure to Australia-Indonesia relations! I’ve been lucky to be able to see Australia and it’s attitude to the region through my family’s eyes. But my professional interest in the relationship has grown the more I see how important the relationship is to Australia’s place in the world. Since 2009, I’ve increasingly focussed on the country, particularly on Indonesian military and defence issues.

I’m optimistic about the relationship, despite the ups and downs. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve seen Australian attitudes gradually become warmer and more receptive towards Indonesia, especially in the political realm, so I think the relationship will remain on a steady upwards trajectory in the long run. I hope Indonesian popular culture, including films like ‘The Raid’ continue to show Australians that Indonesia is more than Bali. That same goes in reverse, it’s up to us to show Australia in a different light to our neighbours.

I believe the more the paths of Australians and Indonesians criss-cross, the more we’ll have to learn about each other–including from our mistakes.

What are you working on at the moment?

As an analyst at ASPI, I’m always thinking and writing about Australia-Indonesia defence and strategic relations.

However, I’m currently in Washington DC as a visiting fellow by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), where I’ve been looking at the US rebalance to the Asia Pacific and American expectations of Indonesia’s role as a regional power and global actor.

It’s been interesting to compare Australian and American perspectives on Indonesia: it occupies such a prominent part of our regional strategic thinking, but for the US, Indonesia is seen only as one of ten ASEAN states and even then, only part of a much larger Asia Pacific region.

How did CAUSINDY change your perspective on the Australia-Indonesia relationship?

Being so absorbed by the defence and strategic issues, it was really refreshing to see the bilateral relationship from both Australian and Indonesian private sector and NGO perspectives. It’s made me think harder about how my research supports the relationship more broadly. Being with such a diverse group of people, I was able to find more creative ways to articulate defence and strategic issues to a wider audience.   

What advice would you share with anyone thinking of applying this year?

For 2014 applicants, I would say, let your passion for the relationship show and be prepared to come up with practical, grassroots solutions to building better ties. 

Q&A with Natrisha Barnett

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Natrisha Barnett is a recent graduate of the University of Western Australia and the founder and president of the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association’s Western Australia chapter. We spoke to Natrisha about her experience at CAUSINDY last year, and her advice for prospective delegates!

Tell us a little about your own background.

I am a recent graduate of the University of Western Australia (BA&BEc) and have a strong interest in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Indonesia. I am the founder and president of the Australia Indonesia Youth Association Western Australia and I really enjoy developing relationships within the community to advance our reach and impact.

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I was selected as a participant of the Australia Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and have undertaken internships with the Australian Embassy and Austrade Jakarta and with the Australia Indonesia Business Council in Western Australia, focusing on the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Each of these experiences have enhanced my understanding of Indonesian language, culture and its people and have given me insight into the history of Australian engagement with Indonesia. I am eager to stay involved with Australia-Indonesia affairs and to make a positive difference to the relationship.

How did you first get involved in the Australia-Indonesia relationship? Where do you see it headed?

In my first year of high school, Indonesian was a compulsory subject – I really enjoyed learning not just the language, but about the culture. I had a great group of teachers who made the lessons fun, took us to Indonesian restaurants and taught us how to make makanan Indonesia. My experiences had always been very positive and continued in-country when I first visited in 2010. I’ve been back over 15 times in the last two years and I’m writing this from Jakarta.

I see the relationship headed in a positive direction as young people increase their engagement, making their voices and ideas heard.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently organising the Australia Indonesia Fashion Exhibition (AIFEX) 2014 with my AIYA WA committee in Perth, to showcase contemporary designs from our two countries best designers, artists and performers – keep an eye out for updates on our facebook page!

How did CAUSINDY change your perspective on the Australia-Indonesia relationship?

I don’t think it changed my perspective, I think it cemented it – the young people of our two countries see each other as seamless extensions of neighbours to friends and have a mutual understanding of the way things should be. Both sides are very keen to see positive change and are willing to make an impact on the relationship. With so much energy and enthusiasm from the next generation’s leaders, we are full of confidence and optimism that the relationship will strengthen in the near future.

What advice would you share with anyone thinking of applying this year?

Articulate your experiences and ability to work with others, to communicate and to engage in discussions. Set out your vision, your ideas and your passion to make a positive difference – don’t be afraid to be bold. It’s a fantastic opportunity to have your say in the Australia-Indonesia relationship and to meet a fantastic group of like-minded young professionals.

Q&A with Donny Eryastha

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3e8586aOriginally from Bengkulu, Sumatra, Donny currently works as a Private Sector Development Specialist with the World Bank in Jakarta. Prior to his current work at AusAid, he worked as an Advisor to the Minister at the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board. He has also worked at both ends of the financial industry, as investment banker and microfinance analyst.

We spoke to him about his experience in the Australia-Indonesia relationship, his career, and what it’s like to be a CAUSINDY delegate.

How did you first get involved in the Australia-Indonesia relationship? Where do you see it headed?

My first foray into the bilateral relationship was when I started working as a Senior Program Manager at AusAID in Jakarta. I managed the disbursement and implementation of Australian aid in Indonesia, focusing on providing technical assistance to the design and implementation of social protection programs.

The Australia-Indonesia relationship can only get tighter, with the increasing economic relationships between both countries and each country’s improved understanding of the strategic significance of the other country.

Where are you working at the moment?

I work as Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank in Jakarta, advising the Indonesian government on ways it can improve the country’s business climate and its investment facilitation processes.

On the side I lead Indonesia Mengglobal, a non-profit aimed at improving Indonesians’ access to quality global education.

How did CAUSINDY change your perspective on the Australia-Indonesia relationship?

CAUSINDY exposed me to a group of talented young Australians and Indonesians, each with genuine interests and areas of expertise in the other country. Interacting with them invigorated my optimism toward the future of the Australia-Indonesia relationship, as I could see first hand the growing and tightening bond between the two countries at the people-to-people level.

What advice would you share with anyone thinking of applying this year?

Don’t think twice, just apply! :0) I had a very fun and enriching experience last year and you should try to join this year! Make sure to highlight your exposure to Australia-Indonesia relationships when preparing your application.