Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to make Indonesia his first overseas visit in midMay 2025 following his re-election underscores Jakarta’s continuing strategic importance to Canberra. Albanese’s second term at least allows Indonesia to expect that the interest and aGention toward the region would stay longer.

However, beyond symbolism, this visit arrives at a critical juncture: the regional order is under strain due to the intensification of the U.S.–China rivalry, growing geopolitical fragmentation, and rising uncertainty surrounding American foreign policy initiatives in the region.

In this context, it is high time for two neighbouring middle powers, Indonesia and Australia, to elevate their strong partnership beyond the current baseline—to deepen cooperation in pursuit of regional security, resilience, and long-term stability. In the Joint Communique that was released following the meeting, both Prabowo and Albanese announced several initiatives, including the renewal of the CSP Plan of Action for 2025-2029, an Australian contribution for climate and green-energy small and medium-sized enterprises in Indonesia, another contribution in strengthening Indonesia’s health system, as well as reaffirming commitments towards collaboration in various fields such as defence, maritime security, bilateral trade, and people-to-people ties