The Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award recognises high achieving journalists from Australia and Indonesia. The following award recipients have shared their program experiences:

• Sarah Dingle (Australian recipient, 2023)
• Yunita Tandililing (Indonesian recipient, 2023)
• Sinead Mangan (Australian recipient, 2019)
• Andini Effendi (Indonesian recipient, 2019)
• Andrew Greene (Australian recipient, 2018)
• Bernard Lane (Australian recipient, 2014)
• Fitria Sofyani (Indonesian recipient, 2014)
• Auskar Surbakti (Australian recipient, 2011)
• Devianti Faridz (Indonesian recipient, 2011)
• Josh Gordon (Australian recipient, 2010)
• Sondang Sirait (Indonesian recipient, 2009)
• Kieran Gilbert (Australian recipient, 2009)
• Sophie Morris (Australian recipient, 2009)
• Karthika Sari (Indonesian recipient, 2008)
• Joanna McCarthy (Australian recipient, 2007)
• Meutya Hafid (Indonesian recipient, 2007)

Sarah Dingle (Australian recipient, 2023)

I was expecting the Elizabeth O'Neill Award to provide a broader understanding of Indonesia – but I wasn't expecting the sheer breadth of its usefulness.

This was the first Elizabeth O'Neill Award to run after COVID. I was fortunate to arrive just as the country unwound the last of its compulsory COVID measures – and I was also fortunate enough to go to Borneo. I had expressed a desire to see the site of the new capital Nusantara, and not only did I get to go, but I also got to speak to some of the people leading its construction - as well as others potentially affected by it. I also nominated energy transition, defence and security and cultural/societal change as some of my areas of interest – and I was immensely rewarded. My program included extensive meetings and conversations (many on the record) with key figures in business, tech, security studies and politics, including a government minister. It was basically a boot camp in broadening my horizons, which sounds trite, but there's no other way to describe it. I walked away with a wealth of knowledge. Often the meetings that I was most surprised by were the left-field ones, like the social media influencer in Surabaya, but all were excellent speakers – people who were fascinating and who I know I will remember and turn to in the future for more stories.

I had visited Indonesia several times before, and as a journalist of Malaysian Chinese heritage I am particularly interested in the Southeast Asian region. The Elizabeth O'Neill set me up incredibly well for the short, medium, and long term. In the short term, I filed multiple stories from material gathered in-country immediately upon my return. In the medium term, I had - and have - an incredibly useful understanding of the political landscape in Indonesia and the trade and commercial opportunities between Indonesia and Australia – particularly handy given that soon after my return, Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Australia to discuss some of those very topics. And in the long term I feel like I have a handle on how to tackle some of the big stories that will doubtless come out of Indonesia in the weeks, months, and years to come. In fact, thanks to this program, in many cases I already have the contacts of who to talk to. It's been 16 years since the passing of Elizabeth O'Neill, but while on this program I was moved by how many people I met who were close to her, who spoke of her with great affection, and who were deeply invested in her legacy. It was an incredible experience. I am hugely grateful for the opportunity.

Sarah Dingle, ABC and Graviardhi Putra, Australian Embassy Jakarta, in a rare and exciting opportunity at the site for Nusantara during the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award Program 2023

 

Yunita Tandililing (Indonesian recipient, 2023)

Being a recipient of the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Awards 2023 was a surprise that I never imagined. I, who had never set foot in Australia, felt very lucky to have the opportunity to visit for 12 days in a country that is geographically very close to Indonesia, but not so close in terms of news.

Sydney was the first city that I visited. Although I was only there for a short time, I had the opportunity to visit SBS TV and listen to the SBS working system that provides services in 60 languages.

From Sydney I flew to Canberra and spent seven fully days there. During my time in Canberra, I did a wide range of activities, from looking at power supply technology at the Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre in Cooma, to completing coverage of the local and federal Government's electric vehicle policies.

Not only indoor meetings, I also had the opportunity to see the beauty of the city of Canberra from the top of Mount Ainslie, Black Mountain and the National Arboretum flower garden.

After a week in Canberra, I continued my journey to the city of Darwin. My five-day experience in Darwin was no less exciting. I had the opportunity to see the location of the Royal Flying Doctors' Service and enjoy the sunset eating fresh seafood on a cruise.

Really, 12 days of travelling in Australia enriched my knowledge of things I didn't encounter in Indonesia, also expanded my network of friends, and refreshed my reporting skills as a television journalist.

Yunita Tandililing, Kompas TV, at work atop Mount Ainslie in Canberra and at play on Sydney Harbour during the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award Program 2023

 

When the pre-COVID program meets the post-COVID program our alumni network grows!

Sinead Mangan (Australian recipient, 2019)

My interest in Indonesia has never waned since studying there as a university student in the late 1990s, and later working briefly in Jakarta in 1999. All these years later, I was delighted to be a recipient of the 2019 Elizabeth O'Neill award.

As a recipient of the Elizabeth O'Neill award I had many opportunities to explore [the Australia-Indonesia] business relationship. Every day of my fortnight was action packed leaving me with no shortage of material to turn in to content both for the ABC, and to chat about as a correspondent for the BBC.

Over the trip my Bahasa got a dust-off and I was reminded why chaotic, unpredictable, rich Indonesia has always had a place in my heart. Mostly I got to meet some lovely people, including my fellow 2019 recipient Andini Effendi.

Andini Effendi (Indonesian recipient, 2019)

When I signed up for the Elizabeth O'Neill Award, I had one goal: to tell the Australian peoples' stories. I've noticed the relationship between the two countries are beyond trade, investments, and politics. Unfortunately, only those three aspects are what we consequently watch and read in the media. My Australian trip consisted of visiting Perth, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne.

Throughout the trip, I have met some of the most amazing people who dedicate themselves to the betterment of the world. They don't think about only Australia, but also the global citizens. Someone like Darren Lomman from Greenbatch in Perth, who is working with schools in Western Australia to donate their plastic waste and turn it into 3D printing filament so schools can use it for education purposes. There is also Amanda Joyce and Ashley Batista from Victoria School of the Deaf. Aside from being teachers, they both are responsible to assist the students so they can work after graduating from school. Amanda is in charge of the Trade Block Cafe, where all the staff are deaf. Ashley runs a bicycle repair shop where students can learn to be mechanics. And of course, I had the chance to meet Daniel Flynn of thankyou. I witnessed how thankyou as a social enterprise thrived and flourished into becoming a well-respected organisation in the country. And of course, meeting and interviewing the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison was also the highlight of the trip.

On the side, since I had a very packed schedule, me and my cameraperson managed to film stories on how to enjoy each cities like a local for our travelling show. This way, Indonesian audiences will be able to see Australian cities as more than just the tourist spots. I have had the privilege to visit Australia quite often for work and pleasure. But I must say, the Elizabeth O'Neill trip was an eye-opening trip. I learned more about Australia and connected with Australians who shape the nation and represent the character of the down under. In short, I fell in love with Australia.

Andrew Greene (Australian recipient, 2018)

Back in 2006 I covered the sentencing of the Bali 9 drug traffickers and had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth O'Neill, watching as she worked tirelessly and compassionately during the Denpasar court proceedings.

She was a dedicated, warm and caring professional who displayed the best of Australian diplomacy in her work, so it was an absolute honour to be selected as a recipient of the award which bears her name.

In October 2018 I spent just over a week in Indonesia meeting officials, journalists and academics who were able to brief me on military and national security affairs, broadening my understanding of one of the most important relationships for the Australian government and military. To date my professional experience and knowledge of Indonesia was limited, although through my work as the ABC's defence correspondent I regularly deal with Indonesian government and military officials.

The Australian Embassy in Jakarta and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra, went to great lengths to set up an engaging, relevant and jam-packed program which has greatly expanded my knowledge of Indonesia, particularly the unique cultural, economic and historic factors which shape the country, and the future challenges and opportunities that lay ahead.

During my time in Indonesia I was able to visit several key offices in Jakarta, a military factory in Bandung, and numerous other places of interest. The experiences I gathered and the people I met during the program will continue to enrich my reporting of one a nation whose importance to Australia and the region will only grow in the years ahead.

 

Bernard Lane (Australian recipient, 2014)

The problem with an experience like this – and it's a wonderful problem – is how to sum it up. The idea was to learn something about Indonesia's universities at a time when both our countries are seeking to make higher education more international. The Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award certainly gave me access to some well-placed figures in Indonesia. I did a lot of listening and note-taking, and left with much more than I could capture in a word limit. Better still, I got a sense of how little I really knew, and where I might begin to pursue a deeper understanding, given future opportunities. Even a slight familiarity with the way others do things – higher education, in this case – has the benefit of throwing into sharp relief the way we do it at home. A good example of this was Australia's New Colombo study abroad scheme. Assumptions, otherwise overlooked, became clearer as I talked to Indonesians about the New Colombo Plan and registered their reactions.

So much for my official topic of education. The rest was an experience of Indonesia, which meant Australians in Indonesia, Indonesians with links to Australia and encounters with plenty of strangers. I enjoyed practising my basic Indonesian in shops and becaks. I also found absorbing my glimpses of embassy life as a meeting point between various worlds – something I hadn't given much thought to in the past. I had a happy return to Yogyakarta, where I'd been a language student the previous year, and my first experience of Jakarta. By the end of the trip I was beginning to appreciate the flavour of the Big Durian, thanks to the old hands who showed me around and gave me an idea of its history and places.

Fitria Sofyani (Indonesian recipient, 2014)

My two-week trip across Australia (Darwin-Sydney-Canberra-Hobart-Melbourne) as the winner of the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award 2014 has inspired me in many ways.

I focused on working on stories about women's leadership, in politics, business and society. I was especially interested to learn about the role of female politicians in Australian, and I did learn a lot during the trip. I met many Australian powerful female politicians: Bess Nungarrayi Price in Darwin, Pru Goward and Tanya Plibersek in Sydney, then Bronwyn Bishop, Natasha Stott Despoja and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Canberra. I talked to them and discuss a lot about their commitment to working for community through politics and their struggle to win the place in political world. It was really inspiring and encouraging.

I was mostly inspired by the discussion with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop who started her career in politics when she was 40 years old. I was also very delighted by my second meeting with Natasha Stott Despoja who now represents Australia as the Ambassador for Women and Girls. Besides meeting with the political figures, I also had the opportunity to meet with women from business field and social organisations. Those meetings gave me an opportunity of developing great contacts and opening the possibility of working together to empower women in both countries.

Visiting students in Hobart who are studying the Indonesian language was one of my favourite programs. It was really wonderful to see the students were very keen to learn more about Indonesia. I also had a chance to visit the Australian National Gallery and was shown the magnificent collection of Indonesian heritage, and met with Australian-Indonesia mix children community who promotes Indonesian culture in Australia. Another highlight of my trip was the meeting with two relatives of victims of the Bali Bombing. It was great to know that such a horrible tragedy hasn't change their view about relationship between Australia and Indonesia. I came back to Indonesia with a new spirit of making a significant change in my surrounding through my works in Marie Claire Indonesia as well as through my personal networks.

 

Auskar Surbakti (Australian recipient, 2011)

Before I embarked on the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award trip, I had visited Indonesia several times for work, but never had the chance to meet people outside of the stories that I covered. One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was the opportunity to meet with people from a range of backgrounds and organisations, and have frank off-the-record discussions with them. Since the trip, I have contacted several of those people for stories, and I know I'll be in touch with them in the future. The award also took me to places I'd always wanted to visit, such as Kalimantan and Bali (yes, I was quickly referred to as the only Australian who hadn't been to Bali!).

The trip further opened my eyes to the diversity of people and issues in Indonesia. The vast archipelago can't be defined just by the issues of terrorism, Islam and poverty that often frame news stories outside of Indonesia. I discovered the country is defying the economic slowdown felt in Europe and the United States, it's committed to rooting out home-grown terrorists, it's finding different ways to tackle environmental issues, and it's making progress in raising living standards across Indonesia. Of course there's still a long way to go in tackling these problem areas, but Indonesia is making progress beyond what's being reported.

 

Devianti Faridz (Indonesian recipient, 2011)

The Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award offered me a great opportunity to observe how the various media covers topics of interest to Indonesia and Australia, particularly on asylum seekers, differently and how it eventually shapes public perception and government policies. The trip also allowed me insight into how Australia's education system supports Islamic school development and how the country was able to manage a devastating massive flood in Queensland.

I enjoyed the many personal conversations I had with a variety of Australians from different backgrounds among them from the media, arts and politics. But the trip wasn't all work and no play. One of the highlights of my three week trip was visiting Australia's Sovereign Hill, a fun place to learn about the country's gold mining history and the wildlife parks where I got up close and personal with furry koalas and kangaroos.

Josh Gordon (Australian recipient, 2010)

I found the trip to be a particularly rich and rewarding experience. I visited Indonesia in March/April 2011. My primary purpose was to examine the interaction between religion and politics – particularly the rise of fundamentalism – and also to examine how Australia was working with Indonesia to combat the threat of terrorism.

It was a broad topic that brought me into contact with academics, politicians and social commentators in a busy program lasting for two weeks. I began in Jakarta with a series of fascinating meetings, including the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, the Jakarta Post, various business representatives, the Indonesia National Police, the office of the Vice President and Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.

I then travelled to Semarang, where I spent time at the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation, before attending the Bali Process Ministerial Meeting in Bali. The trip finished in Yogyakarta where, among other things, I met with Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and visited villages affected by the 2010 eruption of Mt Merapi.

Overall, the trip was a brilliant experience. In an overarching sense, one of the key things I took away was that while Australia's relationship with Indonesia has at times been fraught, there is a strong sense of optimism, given growing economic and strategic links.

 

Sondang Sirait (Indonesian recipient, 2009)

Throughout the decades, Indonesia and Australia have come a long way in their roles as neighbours and partners. In 2005, the two countries embarked on a Comprehensive Partnership that aimed to focus more on their commonalities instead of differences. Within five years, that partnership has turned into what President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called a "special relationship", when addressing the Australian Parliament in March 2010. The Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award program has enabled me to understand what the President meant. Many Australians I met during the program showed an endless extent to where they would go to parlay a mutually appreciative relationship with Indonesia. They were ministers, diplomats, journalists, politicians, business people, regional experts, farmers, as well as ordinary people. I came home enriched and ready to spread a change of mindset. It's time to move on, and never look back, in our partnership. Terima kasih, Australia.

 

Kieran Gilbert (Australian recipient, 2009)

I was privileged to meet Elizabeth O'Neill at the 2003 memorial service in Bali, a year after the first bombings.

Elizabeth was an absolute professional and a delight to work with, so to win the award was an honour.

The two weeks I spent in Indonesia as part of the program were crucial to my understanding of our northern neighbour at two important levels.

The opportunity to have discussions with community leaders, officials and senior members of the Government including Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa gave me an insight into the culture, challenges and uniqueness of the most populous Muslim nation in the world.

And on Australia's engagement with Indonesia – the Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Police and AusAid gave me some valuable insights into the multi-faceted work our officials do in fostering closer ties and helping our northern neighbour with some of the complex issues facing that vast and diverse archipelago.

The experiences I had from Jakarta to Lombok and from Kupang to Semarang have informed my reporting as an Australian journalist over subsequent years and added depth to my knowledge of a nation so important to our region and our future.

 

Sophie Morris (Australian recipient, 2008)

My visit to Indonesia in early 2009 has left many lasting impressions – from the glitz of Jakarta's shopping malls, to visiting subsistence farms in South Sulawesi and lunching with fishermen on Lae-Lae island, off Makassar.

Travelling outside the capital gave me some understanding of the diversity within Indonesia and the challenges for a government in responding to the needs of a population stretched over so many islands.

The Indonesian government was already championing the cause of self-sufficiency in food production. This has since gained momentum and become a bigger factor in the relationship with Australia, following disruptions to the live export trade. For me, it has been helpful to understand some of the background and political imperatives behind this push as well as the challenges of achieving it.

Meetings with Indonesian and Australian officials in Jakarta also gave me insight into how closely the two countries were working together on a range of issues, including trade, aid, education, illegal foreign fishing and reducing carbon emissions.

At that time, there was much goodwill and optimism on both sides that a strong foundation was being laid for an enduring and close relationship that would weather any differences that might arise.

 

Kartika Sari (Indonesian recipient, 2008)

Thank you very much for giving me a chance to share my experience as one of the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award recipients. It was a great honour to be selected to win this award. I think I was just lucky. I would like to share how the Award shaped my understanding of Australia. I got a chance to visit Australia for three weeks. I went to Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It was an amazing experience and an unforgettable moment.

I think it was a really great experience for me as a journalist. During my visit program, I met and talked to different people from various backgrounds, like (then) Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, (then) Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, (then) Trade Minister Simon Crean, (then) House Speaker Harry Jenkins, Australian businessmen, some professors like Professor Virginia Hooker from the Australian National University, Chairman of the Australia Indonesia Institute (AII) Professor Tim Lindsey, local government officials, Australian media and Indonesian university students.

From this visit, I understand more about Australian culture, politics, society, lifestyle, and local people, include the way of life and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait people. We had a good discussion, sharing information and ideas. This trip was effective and very useful. I wrote a series of article from the visit to Australia for our newspaper, Rakyat Merdeka Daily, so our readers and subscribers could read them too. I got a lot of positive responses and feedback from my friends and our readers.

Based on my experience from the trip, I think this program is very good and effective at improving people-to-people contact between Indonesia and Australia. Because in fact, even though geographically Australia is close to Asian countries, especially Indonesia, many Australian people still don't know much about Indonesia, our culture, traditions and Islam here. Example: many Australians don't know that Bali is part of Indonesia. When I asked them: Have you ever been to Indonesia? They said, "No, never. But we have been to Bali several times and we liked it." I was very busy explaining to them that Bali is part of Indonesia.

At the same time, I also got a chance to attend a Bilateral Conference in Sydney. It was a big event, attended by 400 people. Two hundred delegates from Indonesia and 200 delegates from Australia, include myself. They came from different and various backgrounds like top government officials, members of parliament, businessmen, NGOs, Indonesians, economists and think tanks from the two countries.

Another good experience from this trip was attending Question Time at Parliament in Canberra. As a journalist, I was curious and excited to see and hear Question Time at Parliament there. I have learnt that hearing in our parliament and Question Time in the Australian Parliament is very different and it was a new experience for me.

Last but not least, I have another unforgettable experience and best moment to share: I have climbed Sydney Harbour Bridge. Wow… it was a really great and fun moment. Climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge, an Australian landmark, was one of my sweet dreams and I was very happy because finally my dream came true. I told my family, friends and colleagues about how fun this adventure was. I told them that Australia is a beautiful country with multi-ethnic people and various cultures, very modern, good infrastructure, with many international universities and a good destination for tourists or university students. I also told Australian people I met that Indonesia is a very beautiful country, with friendly people, unique culture with hundreds of local ethnicities and languages. Plus yummy authentic foods of course. I told them please visit Indonesia, see and explore our beautiful country. It was fun because at same the time I was acting like an "Ambassador" for my country. Oh well, as long as I can improve people-to-people contact and relationships between our two countries, why not? Now I feel like Australia is my second home and I always want to come back there again and again.

Joanna McCarthy (Australian recipient, 2007)

The opportunity to spend three weeks reporting in Indonesia helped deepen my understanding of the country and its people. I had the chance to interview a number of prominent Indonesians in politics, academia and the media and cover stories on the economy, environment and climate change, aid and development and international relations (especially the bilateral relationship with Australia). I learnt about the country's rapid transition to democracy in the post-Suharto era and had the chance to interview witnesses to the 1998 fall of Suharto and the emergence of the reformasi movement. I also had the chance to visit Aceh and report first hand on the reconstruction efforts after the devastating 2004 tsunami and the government's subsequent peace process with separatist GAM rebels in the region. These experiences allowed me to better understand both the huge strides Indonesia has made and the complex challenges it still faces. I also learnt more about the Australia – Indonesia relationship – on the one hand, its deepening diplomatic and trade ties and on the other hand, the ongoing misunderstandings and distrust between its people. I believe that the media in both countries has contributed to these misunderstandings and needs to work on broadening their coverage beyond the narrow stereotypes. For me, the visit led to a lasting interest in Indonesian affairs and hopefully improved my own reporting. My lasting memory of the visit was the generosity and hospitality of the people I met and the richness of the country's history and culture.

 

Meutya Hafid (Indonesian recipient, 2007)

Australia has always been a country close to my heart. I did my engineering degree in Manufacturing Management at University of New South Wales, Sydney, from 1996 to 2000 and had thousands of memorable moments living in a friendly atmosphere with students/friends coming from different parts of the world.

Being the first recipient of the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award is both an honour and a great privilege to me, especially because Elizabeth was a very dedicated diplomat who never tired of promoting better relationships between Indonesia and Australia. And it was a great privilege because this award also re-connects my relationship with Australia as I was given a chance to once again visit this amazing country.

My visit back to Australia was at the most exciting moment for perhaps all journalists, the 2007 Election. The award gave me access to witness closely one of the tightest elections Australia had ever had. On other days during the visit I busied myself visiting places and people who have stirred a positive atmosphere of multiculturalism in Australia. Multiculturalism in Australia has always interested me and thus I made it one focus of my visit.

I'm very thankful – the award and experience has inspired me a lot and gave me different perspectives to look at the world.