Australia-Indonesia in conversation

Hybrid conference July 5-6, registrations now open.

The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in partnership with The Faculty of Arts at The University of Melbourne, will host the third mini-conference in the Australia-Indonesia in Conversation (AIC) series consisting of six round table panel discussions held over two half-day sessions on ‘Valuing Democracy and Diversity: Equity, Leadership, and Social Justice’. This event will be held in hybrid mode: in-person and online, on 5-6 July 2023, at the FISIPOL UGM campus, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Australia and Indonesia have long enjoyed a strong, stable bilateral relationship as close neighbours in the Asia Pacific, with many shared political, economic, and social interests. Across vast and varied geographies, each country is diverse in its socio-cultural make up, available economic resources, and local politics, which shapes its policies and efforts to address the needs of the diverse communities locally and nationally.

Indeed, both Australia and Indonesia have experienced significant change as each has transitioned away from stay-at-home orders and grappled with the impacts of the pandemic and global economic and political instability. In moving forward, both face challenges in responding to emerging political change and issues of equity and social justice, which are shaped by both historical and contemporary dynamics. Even so, there is significant innovation and leadership in efforts to build more equitable and inclusive societies in both countries.

The hosts of the conference have strong ties and an ongoing history of collaboration as well as being partners in the Australia- Indonesia centre and many other initiatives. This conference aims to highlight the ways policymakers, researchers, civil society and the private sector in Australia and Indonesia seek to value democracy and diversity, amidst ever changing global and local political and socio-economic dynamics. Following the opening session, six sequential panels will be held over two days.