MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
I am pleased to announce that during my visit to
Jakarta, I have concluded several aid agreements which further underscore the
close development cooperation relationship between Australia and
Indonesia.
At this time of significant economic reform in
Indonesia, I am pleased also to announce that Australia and Indonesia have
agreed to introduce into Australia's bilateral aid arrangements, a major program
of activities to promote economic management capacity and reform.
The program of new and some ongoing activities will
involve assistance worth up to $70 million over three years and, in close
consultation with Indonesian authorities, will seek to enhance Indonesia's
capacity to meet the economic challenges it faces, especially in implementing
economic reforms and achieving rapid economic recovery.
I have signed the General Agreement on Development
Cooperation which will provide an enduring framework for development cooperation
between our two countries, and two further specific agreements. These
are:
- the Memorandum of Understanding for phase two of
the Indonesia-Australia Specialised Training Program, which covers a
five-year, $45 million program of short-term training focused on good
governance and community development; - the Memorandum of Understanding on Australian
Development Scholarships, covering a $25 million annual program of tertiary
scholarships for study in Australia.
I am pleased also to announce a package of 60
additional tertiary scholarships for study in Australia related to economic
reform. This will bring the number of Indonesian students in Australia studying
under aid scholarships to around 700.
The scholarships provide further evidence of
Australia's commitment to tertiary education in Indonesia at a time when
economic circumstances make it difficult for many Indonesians to undertake
higher education.
Australia's general bilateral aid program in
Indonesia, developed in cooperation with the Indonesian Government, has a
particular emphasis on addressing the severe social and economic impact of the
East Asian financial crisis and the drought on Indonesia's poor. Assistance
includes both immediate humanitarian aid and longer-term support for governance
aimed at strengthening Indonesia's institutions.
Media Contacts:
Innes Willox (Jakarta) 0811 993308 Keith Scott (AusAID) (02) 6206 4971