Scott Morrison has touched down in Jakarta on his first international trip as Australia's prime minister. Just six days after he was sworn in, the country's 30th leader hit the shores of Indonesia to address trade, security and regional cooperation with Prime Minister Joko Widodo. Mr Morrison was greeted with a red carpet and a black BMW fitted with personalised 'AUSTRALIA' number plates. In true Australian fashion, the new leader shook hands with the Lembong with and said 'G'day' Mr Morrison was welcomed at the International Airport by the chairman of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, Thomas Trikasih Lembong. In true Australian fashion, the new leader shook hands with Mr Lembong and said 'G'day'. Mr Widodo and Mr Morrison will enjoy high tea and discuss a long-awaited free trade deal with the country, according to SBS. The deal is almost complete and opens up a two-way relationship with the country. Mr Morrison was welcomed at the International Airport by the chairman of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, Thomas Trikasih Lembong (left) There will be opportunities for farmers, students and manufacturing. 'For many years, the relationship has been described as underdone,' Australia Indonesia Business Council president Phil Turtle told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday. 'There is great opportunity now to have this agreement as a kick start to try and do a lot better than we have been.' Despite the recent change in Australia's leader, Mr Turtle said it would not affect the negotiations. Mr Morrison told reporters before the flight, 'We're a government that believes in trade because trade creates jobs. We're a pro-trade government.'<doc-sep>Australia’s new Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, will visit Indonesia on Friday on his first overseas trip just a week after being sworn in. During the visit, Morrison is scheduled to meet President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to announce a free trade agreement and discuss security cooperation between the two countries. But, how much do Indonesians know about Morrison? How will his leadership affect the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Australia? What do Indonesians expect from Morrison? Media exposure Morrison’s sudden appointment after a stunning party revolt against his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull has attracted Indonesian media attention. I noticed this after monitoring both online and print media in Indonesia. Among them are the country’s largest daily, Kompas, Indonesia’s leading English newspaper, The Jakarta Post and prominent online media, including Detik,Okezone and Kumparan. Local media’s coverage of Morrison’s appointment signals increased public awareness of Australian politics. The exposure is even bigger both in quantity and frequency than Indonesian media coverage of the 2016 Australia federal election. Indonesian media describe the quick change in the leadership as a common phenomenon in Australian politics. They say this will result in more unnecessary delays for bilateral agreements between the two countries. Knowing Morrison Indonesians are more familiar with Australian leaders like Julie Bishop, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. Morrison’s name only came up after he was elected as the prime minister. Not all Indonesians are aware that Morrison’s nomination was a result of an internal political instability within Australia’s Liberal Party. From his portfolio, Indonesians know that Morrison is the man behind Australia’s immigration policy, “stop the boats”. Issued during Morrison’s time as immigration minister, the policy is a border protection operation to stop arrivals of asylum seekers to Australia. The Indonesian government has always expressed its objection to the policy. It believes Australia should not act unilaterally and pursue a more sustainable approach to asylum seekers. He is also known as a leader that supported anti-Islam policies to win votes. Despite views that he may be seen as unfriendly to Islam, Morrison has the opportunity to start a new episode with Indonesia. So far the local media has only focused on his immigration policy. What to expect Morrison’s visit to Jakarta is an effective symbol to show how important Indonesia is to Australia. Despite being geographically close, Australia was only the 12th biggest buyer of Indonesian exports in 2016-2017. Meanwhile, Indonesia was the tenth largest export destination for Australia. During his visit to Jakarta, Morrison is expected to announce the free trade pact between Australia and Indonesia, despite some doubtful predictions. The deal is known as the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA CEPA). IA-CEPA itself has been going through a long, slow, and exhausting negotiation. This is because Australia is demanding to sign a good deal to maximise its economic benefits. During the negotiation, Australia wanted a majority of ownership for Australian universities when they open campus in Indonesia. Initially, Indonesia only allowed Australian universities to have 41% of ownership. Both countries finally agreed on 67% of ownership. Australia also wants full market liberalisation on health and agricultural sectors, to which Indonesia has existing regulations to comply. In July 2018, the twelfth round of the negotiation still dealt with minor deadlocks in selected working groups, possibly causing further delays. It is important to note that Australia has signed trade agreements that do not necessarily give economic benefits to the country. It believes these agreements are a tool of foreign policy. This approach exists in a number of Australia’s free trade agreements, including with Korea, Japan and the United States. Because of its trade agreements with other countries, Australia should have not always made economic benefits a priority in IA-CEPA negotiations. The IA-CEPA should go beyond tariff liberalisation, trade mechanism and other technical measurements. Instead, it also should involve the role of civil society and consider strategic aspects of the agreement. With regard to Australia’s immigration policy, the Indonesian public has raised concern that Morrison’s leadership may bring back the “turn back the boat” policy. However, we hope Morrison would not include his hard-line policy as part of his priorities in handling relations with Indonesia. Australia should go beyond boats. Solutions for asylum seekers should be formulated on the basis of mutual benefits. Intensive regional forums are pivotal to provide a long-term way out. Indeed, using the immigration issue and treating it as a threat is very much helpful in boosting popularity in every Australian election. However, Morrison should be aware that Indonesia considers this policy unhelpful in achieving broader regional stability. High expectations ahead Despite the volatility in Australian federal politics, bilateral relations between Australia and Indonesian remain intact. Throughout much of its history, Indonesia and Australia have enjoyed strong and strategic relations. We have encountered a number of challenges that put us in conflict. However, the two countries share common goal of regional stability. Yet, the Australian federal political instability coincides with the changing nature of the two countries’ relations. Indonesia-Australia relations is shifting to a stronger people-to-people connection. An example of this kind people-to-people diplomacy is the opening of several Australian corners in Indonesia’s leading universities. These corners allow students to understand more about Australian culture, politics, and government. Under its New Colombo Plan, Australia has put Indonesia as its first destination for Australian university students. The program enables young Australians to interact more with Indonesians. However, at the same time, a series of leadership sagas in Canberra have not always ended with a leader who is ready to build an image of Australia as a good middle power in the region. The political instability is Australia has forced its politicians to focus more on winning the upcoming election. Domestic issues and politics may restrain it from implementing a “sober and realistic” foreign policy. This is the reason why former prime minister Tony Abbott failed to keep his promise to implement “More Jakarta Less Geneva” policy. To make it even worse, Abbott even refused to apologise over the Indonesian spy scandal. Morrison should continue to build stronger relations with Indonesia. Given his background as a managing director of Tourism Australia from 2004 to 2006, Morrison has the qualification to develop a more attractive and interesting Indonesia-Australia relations in the near future. Concluding the IA-CEPA negotiation and discussing a more sustainable approach to asylum seekers, are some of strategies to consider.<doc-sep>The new Australian Prime Minister touched down in Indonesia looking to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps. Scott Morrison was greeted off the plane today by a government official, and later met with President Joko Widodo. Mr Morrison is yet to have moved into the Lodge as Prime Minister, but today he visited the Indonesian Presidential Palace to talk about regional security, counter-terrorism and economy. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo for 'incredibly important' talks. (AAP) He also sought to further secure a strong partnership between Australia and Indonesia, in the talks with Mr Widodo. "It's incredibly important, it's so important that I should be here in my first week as PM and that's where I am," he said. "This has been an important priority for me as PM and for my government. The two leaders met in the Presidential Palace to discuss regional security, counter-terrorism and economy. (AAP) Mr Morrison is also seeking to strengthen ties with Indonesia amid a possible free trade agreement. (AAP) "You don't get rich selling stuff to yourself. you've got to reach out as an economy like Australia and engage with the world." Australia and Indonesia are working on a free trade agreement, which is yet to be signed, but will look to include aspects such as labour, the free movement of people and the goods coming in and out of each country. The meeting also comes as the friendship between President Widodo and Malcolm Turnbull has been described as a “bromance”. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in Indonesia, where he was met off the plane by government officials ahead of his meeting with the Indonesian President. (9NEWS) Scott Morrison shaking the hand of his government escort upon arrival. (9NEWS) It was an unusual way of looking at a relationship based on complex economic, security and geographic ties, but the pictures backed up the story. There were happy snaps of Mr Widodo and his wife when they joined the Turnbulls for dinner at their Point Piper mansion, in Sydney. Images of the two men taking selfies and strolls together, during President Widodo’s first official visit to Australia in 2017. Prime Minister Morrison will be hoping to follow in Malcolm Turnbull's footsteps and his 'bromance' with the Indonesian President. (9NEWS) And perhaps the most enduring image of the two came while they took an impromptu visit to a crowded marketplace in Jakarta in 2015. The Indonesian President introduced the Australian Prime Minister to the locals – and the scenes that followed were sweaty, frenetic and symbolic. Malcolm Turnbull had only become prime minister weeks earlier, and this visit was regarded as a sign of his desire to leave the past behind – in the wake of the Bali Nine executions – and move forward with the Indonesia-Australia relationship. International relations experts say it’s a smart move by Mr Morrison that he’s also decided to place Indonesia at the top of his international agenda. “I think it’s important that the Prime Minister has decided to make this his first international trip…and it’ll certainly mean a lot to the Indonesian side,” Matthew Busch, non-resident fellow for the Lowy Institute’s East Asia Program, told 9NEWS. “Indonesia and Australia will always be neighbours, they’ll never be able to get away from each other…they will always find things crop up and make things difficult from time to time, so it’s important to have the relationships, the diplomacy and the commercial links in place.” Michael Shoebridge, Director of Defence and Strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Australia relies on Indonesia for its sense of security. Mr Widodo and former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull formed a strong friendship during his term. (AAP) “One of the reasons Australians feel so secure is because of our location in the world, and a big part of that is the fact that to our north is one of the most populous nations, a peaceful, strong partner to Australia that is really part of our protection in the world,” he said. Indonesia also has the potential to provide economic benefits to Australia. “It sees itself as a leader in ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) with the most economic potential to be a real global economic power,” Mr Shoebridge says. “Australia needs to do the hard work in this relationship to lift our economic partnership.” Indonesia and Australia have been working on a free trade agreement for around six years now. For Mr Morrison though, this visit is not about making deals – it’s about developing personal ties.<doc-sep>
Just six days after he was sworn in, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has touched down in Jakarta, declaring "the first place a new prime minister visits is Indonesia". Prime Minister Morrison landed at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport early Friday AEST where he was greeted by the chairman of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, Thomas Trikasih Lembong. The pair exchanged pleasantries before walking a red carpet lined by Indonesia's Presidential Guard. “The first place a new Australian Prime Minister visits is #Indonesia” - Scott Morrison @ScottMorrisonMP touches down in Jakarta, Indonesia #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/v02xcpVcDy — Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) August 30, 2018 The prime minister was heard to greet various Indonesian dignitaries with the uniquely Australian expression "g'day". The prime minister departed in a 12-car convoy, his black BMW fitted with personalised "AUSTRALIA" number plates. SBS News The prime minister will meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo later on Friday to discuss trade, security and regional cooperation. The two leaders will deliver some joint remarks before riding in a golf buggy to high-tea at a nearby cafe, where President Widodo famously treated US President Barack Obama to afternoon tea. Long-awaited free trade deal During the trip, Australia and Indonesia are set to take big steps towards a long-awaited free trade deal. Negotiations for a deal are almost complete, opening up two-way trade opportunities for universities, farmers, and manufacturing in two of the world's top 20 economies. "For many years, the relationship has been described as underdone," Australia Indonesia Business Council president Phil Turtle told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday. "I don't think either country is in each other's top 10 trading partners. READ MORE Prime Minister who? Scott Morrison faces first overseas test "There is great opportunity now to have this agreement as a kickstart to try and do a lot better than we have been." The agreement will free up Indonesia's university sector for Australian investors, allowing up to 67 per cent foreign ownership. Foreign investors are currently barred from majority ownership in an Indonesian university. The deal, which has been discussed since 2012 and was initially due to be completed last year, should be signed later in 2018 after a legal vetting of documents. AAP Mr Morrison said he had "a really good chat" with President Widodo on the weekend ahead of their meeting on Friday. "We're a government that believes in trade because trade creates jobs. We're a pro-trade government," Mr Morrison told reporters in Sydney before taking off. Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was due to take the trip before he was deposed, but Mr Turtle said the change in leader would not affect the negotiations. Additional reporting: AAP