The Institute aims to encourage improved mutual understanding by helping to foster high-quality, insightful media coverage of Indonesia in Australia and of Australia in Indonesia.

The media in Australia and Indonesia play a significant role in informing and shaping both official and public perceptions of the other country. The Institute continued to encourage greater contact by Australian journalists with Indonesia through scholarships and academic programs designed to provide exposure to its language and culture and contact with Indonesian media organisations.

Australian Consortium for In-Country Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) – Journalism (Professional Practicum) Pilot Program

The Institute assisted giving Australian journalism students the opportunity to learn the language, experience the culture and become accustomed to the workings of the media in Indonesia through its support for the pilot Journalism Professional Practicum (JPP) attended by thirteen Australian university students in Jakarta over six weeks in January and February 2002.

The JPP consisted of a two week bloc of classes on Indonesian language and culture at Atma Jaya Catholic University, with additional lectures by specialist Indonesian academics and media practitioners. Participants then undertook a four-week placement in either a newspaper, magazine, radio station or television station, where they engaged in a range of journalist activities that helped to develop their knowledge, insights and skills in journalism. The experience allowed them to meet and work alongside Indonesian journalists, under the supervision of senior media practitioners. These internships were an outstanding opportunity for young Australian journalists to operate within some of Indonesia’s leading media ventures.

The program ensures that participants build strong professional connections in Indonesia and develop a direct and realistic understanding of the operations of the Indonesian media.

Australian journalist scholarships to Indonesia

Sian Powell pictured with her Indonesian cookery teacher

The Institute’s scholarships for Australian journalists to undertake intensive language and culture courses in Indonesia are a valuable and important contribution to increasing the level of knowledge of Indonesia among the Australian media. In 2001–2002, three journalists travelled to Indonesia with support from the AII:

Nick Gentle The Canberra Times

Sian Powell The Australian–Sydney

Ginny Stein SBS–Sydney

Federation/Regional Autonomy Bi-lingual Website and radio series Radio Australia / Gadjah Mada University

The Institute supported completion of a radio series and interactive web site broadcast on Radio Australia and via the world wide web. The seven part radio series in Indonesian was completed and first went to air on Radio Australia’s Indonesian Service on 26 April 2002. It was broadcast weekly and has since completed a second run. In addition, the AII funding assisted Radio Australia to run a seminar Federasi Australia/Otonomi Indonesia in April 2002 which attracted over 100 participants from Indonesian academic circles and Indonesian communities in Melbourne.

The website with purpose-produced content went live in stage 1 on 25 April 2002. After the first radio series went to air, Stage 2 including audio from the programs went up on the site. The bi-lingual website has encouraged the involvement of audiences through interactivity, games and via radio through a wide reaching distribution network on local radio stations in Indonesia.

A CD Rom with distribution to local government instrumentalities and the larger educational institutions in Indonesia is planned for production and distribution in late 2002.

The site including audio can be accessed on abc.net.au/ra/federasi

Media fellowships, Medialink

The Institute funded three fellowships for Australian and Indonesian journalists to undertake work placements with media organisations in each country. The experience, understanding and range of personal contacts established during these work placements are important in helping the media in each country to better understand and report on events in their near neighbour.

This year’s placements covered a range of journalism areas. Claire Harvey, an award-winning reporter with The Australian, undertook a placement with the Jakarta Post newspaper; Jerry Galea, a freelance photojournalist, joined Femina, one of Indonesia’s largest women’s magazines; and Edi Utama, a reporter and night editor at the Antara news agency, expanded his professional skills into radio journalism with a placement at Radio Australia.