An initiative to develop a roadmap for strengthening Indonesia literacy in Australia is among the recipients of the Australia-Indonesia Institute’s 2024-25 grants program announced by Foreign Minister, Penny Wong at the end of last month. Grant recipient Joel Backwell will work alongside experts from across education and government, develop strategies for reviving Indonesia studies, boost engagement with Indonesia, and support the implementation of Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
When asked what the catalyst was for this initiative, Backwell says had been thinking about how he could contribute to the critical objective in the Strategy to 2040 of the need to “strengthen Southeast Asia literacy in Australian business, government, the education and training system, and the community”.
As Australia’s former Trade Commissioner to Malaysia and Brunei and former Executive Director – International Education, Victorian Department of Education and Training, Backwell says he has been passionate about this area for a long time.
“My life has been hugely enriched by having learned Indonesian through school and university and being able to use it throughout my career. I’ve made lifelong friends and had amazing professional experiences. Working across the trade and education sectors, I’ve seen firsthand how Indonesia will be critical to our nation’s future, yet we remain quite ignorant of our near neighbour, to our great detriment.”
“Australia’s future success and economic and geopolitical security relies on our ability to successfully partner with the countries in our region, especially Indonesia, which many analysts predict will become a top 10 (and potentially even top 5) economy by 2040,” he said.
Although the grant has only just been announced, what Backwell hopes will happen when the Roadmap develops is that it will:
- Bring together experts and practitioners from multiple sectors to help them see that a multi-pronged response is likely to get more traction. This will hopefully provide the Australia-Indonesia Institute and other key bodies with a greater pool of advocates to lend their voices to the cause.
- Draw greater attention to the many risks and lost opportunities arising from a failure to build our country’s Indonesia literacy, both at a personal and institutional level. I hope through this work to create a more urgent public discussion about the implications for Australia if we fail to address this gap.
- Provide the Federal Government with a suite of practical initiatives that can then be worked through the relevant policy committees, stakeholder forums and budgetary processes. This includes for example: (a) the Education Ministers Meeting (given that strengthening language learning in schools will require collaboration with the States and Territories); and (b) leveraging the combined expertise of Asialink Business, the BCA, ACCI, IABC etc. to increase the incentives for Australian businesses to consider Indonesia as a potential market.
Backwell said, “while Indonesia continues to rise, our understanding of its cultures, economy and people continues to fall. With so much focus on the tensions and turmoil across the northern hemisphere, we run the risk of neglecting our own backyard. Now, more than ever, we need to diversify our strategic and economic partnerships. I’ve had the benefit of immersing myself in the richness and depth of Indonesia and its people. I hope more Australians can do the same”.
If you are interested in contributing to Backwell’s project, you are encouraged to complete a questionnaire available here.
A full list of grant recipients is available here and includes:
- An initiative by the University of New South Wales Business School to support Australian investors to navigate the Indonesian market, furthering implementation of Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
- A partnership on biofuel development between Australian and Indonesian universities and industry, supporting Indonesia’s transition to net zero.
- A national roundtable on Australian schools’ engagement with Indonesia, led by Asialink Education.
