VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Australian Embassy in Jakarta hosted the New Colombo Plan reception on Wednesday (22/01/2020) to welcome the recipients of the NCP grant to Indonesia and offer a chance for Australian students to interact and network with their Indonesian mentors. Speaking at the event, the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan said the Australian embassy in Indonesia was their largest embassy in the world and it stems from the fact that Indonesia and Australia are good neighbours. He believes that despite a few political hiccups here and there, the relationship between Australia and Indonesia has never been better.

"And the only way to make an ecosystem safe when we both live in the same ecosystem, Australia and Indonesia, is to make sure we are good neighbours. And that's what we're both very, very, very strongly committed to doing as countries. Even though Indonesia is so vastly bigger than we are, you need close, like-minded partners who you have got a lot of experience with and who you've learned to trust," Ambassador Quinlan said.

The New Colombo Plan is an initiative of the Australian Government that seeks to support Australian undergraduate students to study or to undertake internships to aid in increasing the knowledge of Indo Pacific region. The New Colombo Plan offers scholarships to Australian students to undertake short term/ long term study for up to one year, or involve themselves in internships, practicums, research or mentorships. Ambassador Quinlan acknowledged that education was a key element in transforming the relationship between Australia and Indonesia and thanked the NCP for enabling Australian students to live and study in Indonesia. (VOI/SAYEE SHREE L.R/AHM)