2025 Annual Leaders’ Meeting Joint Communique

1. The President of the Republic of Indonesia, His Excellency Prabowo Subianto, and the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, met for the Indonesia-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting in Jakarta on 15 May 2025.
2. President Prabowo Subianto congratulated Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his re-election and expressed best wishes for leading the government and also assured him of the continued friendship and closer relations between the two countries.
3. Leaders highlighted the deep trust and unbreakable bond between Indonesia and Australia. Leaders further reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of both Parties, and the importance of the principles of good neighbourliness and non-interference, as enshrined in the 2006 Lombok Treaty.
4. Leaders welcomed substantial progress in advancing the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and were pleased to witness Foreign Ministers signing the renewed CSP Plan of Action for 2025-2029.
5. Leaders welcomed the increasingly high-level engagements between the two countries since the last Annual Leaders’ Meeting in 2023, and took note of several key visits conducted at the level of Ministers, Special Envoys, and other senior officials.
6. Leaders highlighted the growing strength and depth of the bilateral defence and security relationship, as manifested in the 2024 Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Defence as announced by leaders, and our ambition to further deepen the defence and security relationship.
7. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to ASEAN centrality and reiterated their intention to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Leaders welcomed Australia’s ongoing work with ASEAN on conflict prevention.

Enhancing Our Economic and Development Partnership

8. Leaders welcomed the ongoing success of the economic and development partnership. Leaders agreed to continue to deepen cooperation in pursuit of mutual prosperity, and sustainable and inclusive economic growth in both countries as a pathway toward poverty alleviation. Leaders affirmed the importance of maintaining a conducive trade environment and highlighted their commitment to free and fair trade, and reiterated the need for Australia and Indonesia to increase cooperation in the face of global economic uncertainty. They reaffirmed the importance of economic diversification and recommitted to deepen bilateral and regional trade and investment ties.
9. Leaders acknowledged the upcoming fifth anniversary of the entry-into-force of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), the centrepiece of our economic relationship. Leaders noted the solid progress of deepening trade and investment ties under IA-CEPA, evidenced by the doubling of two-way trade by value since its entry-into-force, and reaffirmed their commitment to implement the Agreement in full to generate broader and deeper economic integration. Leaders acknowledged it was timely to commence a review to ensure the Agreement remained fit for purpose and bolstered economic resilience.
10. Leaders welcomed progress in implementing new initiatives under Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 (‘Invested’), including establishment of the $2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility, and committed to continuing to progress initiatives under Invested. They noted the Landing Pad in Jakarta, which is connecting Australian tech businesses with Indonesian entrepreneurial talent and boosting digital transformation. Leaders noted the strong strategic alignment between Invested and Indonesia’s long-term vision for Indonesia Emas 2045, including the priorities outlined in the Asta Cita mission.
11. Leaders welcomed support from Australia’s Deal Team in Jakarta to a public private partnership project of around $70 million to expand and refurbish Abdoel Moeis hospital in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, where a consortium of Plenary Group and Aspen Medical has been confirmed as the sole prequalified bidder. Leaders also welcomed an announcement by Australian cancer care provider Icon Group to invest in Bali International Hospital (which includes the Indonesia Investment Authority as a strategic partner), also supported by the Deal Team.
12. Leaders welcomed positive developments on the collaboration to promote the electric vehicle ecosystem growth, including battery manufacturing and critical industries in Indonesia and Australia, and tasked officials to continue working together to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.
13. Leaders welcomed bilateral cooperation in regional trade agreements. Leaders welcomed entry-into-force of the 2nd Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA Upgrade). Leaders recognised Australia and Indonesia’s efforts to advance implementation objectives of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP).
14. Leaders reaffirmed their support for a predictable, transparent, free, fair, inclusive, sustainable, and rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core and acknowledged the critical role that the WTO has played in fostering global economic growth.
15. Leaders emphasised the importance of close collaboration, including in the G20 and APEC. Leaders affirmed their support for Indonesia’s ambition to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
16. Leaders discussed opportunities for engagement with Indonesia’s new sovereign wealth fund Danantara, with significant potential to spur Indonesia’s economic development and attract institutional investment. They agreed Australia would support Danantara to join the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds and would facilitate cooperation with Australia’s Future Fund. Leaders also recognised the opening of PT Bank Negara Indonesia in Sydney as the first Indonesian Bank representative in Australia to facilitate increased trade and investment between Indonesia and Australia.
17. Leaders welcomed the economic opportunities of the global net zero transition, including to increase investment, create jobs, drive sustainable growth, and increase energy security. Leaders reinforced the value of the Australia-Indonesia Climate and Infrastructure Partnership (KINETIK), which is supporting Indonesia to achieve energy security and its ambitious decarbonisation goals.
18. Leaders announced Australia’s contribution of $50 million to capitalise the KINETIK Fund for Green Infrastructure, under the AU$200 million Australia-Indonesia Climate and Infrastructure Partnership launched by Leaders in June 2022 which aims to unlock investment into climate and clean energy-focused Indonesian small and medium-sized enterprises. The Fund will incentivise investment in high-potential green infrastructure and clean energy projects in Indonesia. Leaders also acknowledged extensive capacity-building programs to enhance and accelerate energy transition efforts in Indonesia.
19. Leaders acknowledged the shared commitment between Australia and Indonesia to support food security and facilitate and improve two-way trade in agricultural products.
20. Leaders noted our enduring partnership in support of Indonesia’s health transformation agenda. They committed to strengthening Indonesia’s health system, as well as the ability to prevent, detect and respond to human and animal infectious diseases through launching the forthcoming $100 million Australia Indonesia Partnership for Health Transformation over 2025-32.
21. Leaders acknowledged Indonesia’s efforts to address food security, improve nutrition and combat stunting, contributing to human development and economic growth goals. Leaders welcomed Australia’s support for these critical priorities including through funding for UNICEF Centres of Excellence to explore innovative models of delivery for Indonesia’s Nutritious Meals Program in remote regions, providing technical expertise for program implementation for children and pregnant women, and undertaking research on optimising student learning outcomes through school feeding programs.
22. Leaders reiterated their shared commitment to lifting literacy and numeracy outcomes for children, including through the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Innovation for Indonesia’s School Children (INOVASI) from 2024-2031 which includes partnership with the Global Partnership for Education.
23. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment and acknowledged the importance of embedding gender mainstreaming approaches into policy planning, development, and implementation. Leaders committed to efforts encouraging sustainable and inclusive development, including women’s workforce participation, to safeguard economic and financial stability for all of society.

Connecting People

24. Leaders recognised that people-to-people ties are at the heart of our bilateral relationship. Dating back to trade between Makassan seafarers and the First Nations people of Australia, our connections are long-standing and built on mutual respect. Leaders reaffirmed the importance of continuing to deepen our people-to-people ties as we work to create a better future for both our nations and our people.
25. Leaders reconfirmed their commitment to Indonesian language and culture learning in Australia, including through doubling the institutions and scholars participating in the Indonesian Language Learning Ambassadors (ILLA) program, which places Indonesian scholars into Australian schools and universities to support Indonesian language and culture learning and teaching in Australia.
26. Leaders committed to strengthening Indonesian teaching and learning by announcing the Australia Awards Garuda Scholarships to support Indonesia’s Garuda Schools program. Leaders highlighted the importance of education cooperation to the bilateral relationship and welcomed the intention to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in higher education, training and research between Australia and Indonesia.
27. Leaders recalled announcement of the ASEAN-Australia Centre by Southeast Asian and Australian leaders at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in March 2024 and its establishment in July 2024. Leaders acknowledged the Centre’s progress to deepen connections between Australia and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, by working to increase Southeast Asia literacy in Australia, and strengthen economic, education and cultural connections.
28. Leaders welcomed ongoing cooperation on skills and mobility under IA-CEPA, acknowledging the continued strong uptake of Australia’s Work and Holiday visa scheme. Leaders affirmed the importance of the IA-CEPA Skills Development Exchange to deepen economic, and people-to-people ties across multiple business sectors. Leaders encouraged the prompt optimisation of the Mutual Recognition Agreement for engineers, and expressed hope for similar arrangements for other skilled professionals.
29. Leaders reaffirmed efforts to facilitate the ease of movement between Australia and Indonesia for our citizens to strengthen personal connections as well as social, business, and people-to-people ties. Leaders welcomed the increase of two-way travel among Australian and Indonesian visitors and underscored the importance of connectivity to boost travel.

Securing Our and the Region's Shared Interests

30. Leaders reaffirmed the importance of working together to promote an Indo-Pacific region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous and rules based with ASEAN at its centre that upholds international law, where competition is managed responsibly, where sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected, and where countries can freely and independently make decisions in their own interest.
31. Leaders noted the vital role of ASEAN-led regional architecture in providing a platform for dialogue, transparency, cooperation and trust-building, and reinforcing important norms, such as the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law. Leaders underscored our shared interest in bolstering the region’s preventive architecture and committed to deepening the region’s capacity to reduce the risk of conflict and crisis.
32. Leaders recalled their joint announcement of the 2024 Agreement in the Field of Defence and noted it would enhance defence cooperation and interoperability in areas such as joint training, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping. Leaders welcomed progress towards the Agreement’s entry into force. Leaders also welcomed new defence initiatives including TNI use of Australian training ranges and increased military medicine cooperation, including a clinical trial to support Indonesia’s goal of malaria eradication by 2030.
33. Leaders reiterated their commitment to continued cooperation to counter transnational crime, terrorism, and violent extremism, as well as trafficking in persons and people smuggling in our region. Leaders recalled longstanding regional cooperation between Australia and Indonesia as Co-Chairs of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime. Leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), an important pillar of collaboration with the Indonesian National Police since 2004, to countering terrorism, transnational crime, cybercrime, and emerging threats.
34. Leaders highlighted the importance of supporting the priorities of Pacific island countries. Leaders reconfirmed their support for sustainable and effective trilateral development cooperation in the Pacific and agreed to renew the Memorandum of Understanding that underpins this work.

Maritime Cooperation

35. Leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining and promoting security and stability in the South China Sea. Leaders underscored their strong support for freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded trade, their unwavering support for the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and acknowledged the vital role both Indonesia and Australia played during its negotiation. Leaders emphasised the universal and unified character of UNCLOS and reaffirmed that UNCLOS is the comprehensive legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, and underscored that the integrity of UNCLOS needs to be maintained. Leaders emphasised the need for the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, particularly UNCLOS. In this regard, leaders recalled the 2016 ruling of the South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal, constituted under UNCLOS. They underscored the importance of further progress towards an effective, and substantive Code of Conduct that is consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.
36. Recalling their shared commitment to strengthening maritime domain awareness, Leaders welcomed Australia’s commitment of a $15 million package to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation. Leaders acknowledged the significant cooperation already underway and agreed to further joint work to address shared maritime security and marine environmental challenges, including law enforcement, domain awareness, sustainable marine resources, marine protection, and upholding UNCLOS. Leaders agreed for officials to establish an annual Indonesia-Australia Maritime Dialogue to advance these areas of cooperation.
37. Leaders recognised the critical importance of the Indonesia-Australia Fisheries Surveillance Forum last held in Jakarta on 6 May 2025. They acknowledged the joint statement signed between the Directorate General of Surveillance of Marine and Fisheries Resources, Australian Border Force and Australian Fisheries Management Authority. Leaders reaffirmed the commitment of Indonesia and Australia to aspire to a peaceful, secure and stable maritime domain.
38. Leaders recognised our shared commitment to addressing plastic pollution in our region and the importance of finalising the negotiation of an ambitious international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.

Contributing to Indo-Pacific Stability and Prosperity

39. Recalling positively the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne to commemorate the 50th anniversary of dialogue relations and its outcomes, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continuing to work together to support the tangible implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. Leaders reiterated their commitment to supporting an ASEAN-centred, open, inclusive, transparent, resilient, and rules-based regional architecture that upholds international law, built upon ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus). Leaders committed to strengthening the EAS as the region's premier Leaders-led forum for dialogue and cooperation on broad strategic, political, and economic issues of common interest and concern. Leaders reiterated their support for Timor-Leste’s full ASEAN membership.
40. Leaders expressed their deep concern about the worsening conflict and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, which has been compounded by the recent devastating earthquake. Leaders called on stakeholders and parties in Myanmar, in particular the armed forces and security forces concerned, to immediately cease violence, including the targeting of civilians, and to engage in inclusive dialogue. Leaders urged all parties to provide a safe environment for the timely delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance throughout Myanmar, and reiterated their strong support for the Five-Point Consensus and ASEAN’s role in resolving the crisis.
41. Leaders welcomed the Quad’s support for ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, and practical cooperation in the region.
42. Leaders highlighted their ambition for a world without nuclear weapons and their commitment to strengthening the global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime, including its cornerstone, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Australia and Indonesia were founding members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and remain steadfast supporters of its vital role and mandate in upholding the NPT.
43. Leaders welcomed signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO) and the Indonesian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN) to strengthen the longstanding partnership on nuclear safeguards and security, a testament to the strength of the shared commitment to applying practical approaches to non-proliferation implementation.
44. Leaders reiterated their calls for all parties to the Hamas-Israel conflict to: resume the ceasefire; release all hostages; facilitate the rapid, safe, unimpeded, and sustained delivery of humanitarian aid; adhere to international humanitarian law; and protect aid workers to enable their lifesaving work. Leaders reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders, consistent with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.
45. The leaders discussed the war against Ukraine and reaffirmed their respect for sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity. Leaders underscored their commitment to uphold international law and the principles of the UN Charter. Both leaders underscored the importance of the peaceful resolution of the conflict, and that all prisoners of war must be released in accordance with international law.
46. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his sincere gratitude to President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian Government for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to him and the Australian delegation during the Official Visit.