CAUSINDY 2015 Wrap-Up

With the support of the Government of Northern Territory and hosted in Darwin, CAUSINDY in 2015 went ‘back to the beginning’ of the bilateral relationship. We dug deeper than economics and politics, and uncovered a rich history of interaction between Indonesia and Australia.

CAUSINDY is the first youth conference to be held in Darwin and is an crucial location in the Australia Indonesia relationship. The location was an important feature in the CAUSINDY program and discussion in 2015, as delegates explored the long history of the bilateral relationship as well as present day political and economic issues. Delegates also got out and saw the Northern Territory, visiting the Pudakul community, encountering some crocodiles and touring the Port of Darwin.

For photos, commentary and observations from the delegates themselves, check out #causindy or read our live blog from the conference.

Day One

CAUSINDY 2015 was opened by Bilawarra, a representative from the Larrakia people. Bilawarra emphasised the history of contact between Larrakia and Indonesian traders, as well as overlaps in language (rupiah and susu to name a few).

Delegates then went on a private tour at the Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory. Delegates were introduced to the Indigenous gallery by Education Coordinator Michael Barrit and learnt of strong maritime linkages between Australia and Indonesia in a tour of the maritime collection “the boat shead” by Senior Curator Paul Clark.

For the first time in 2015, CAUSINDY streamed to multiple locations. This included the panel discussion Going back to the beginning: A history of Indigenous Australians and Indonesia. Presenters Paul Thomas, Steven Farram and Julia Martinez introduced delegates and external AIYA audiences in Jakarta, Sydney and Melbourne about the earliest days of the bilateral relationship between indigenous traders and the personal stories that make up this history.

Delegates watching presentations

As the conference progressed, we found evidence of strong links between the two nations. From exchanges between farmers in East Java and the Northern Territory, to Australian businesses run in Indonesia, it became apparent that underneath politics – so often tumultuous - the relationship was as diverse as it was durable.

Delegates watching presentations

Throughout CAUSINDY 2015, delegates put together opinion pieces to reflect the experiences and skills of delegates to Darwin. The first of four sessions started today, facilitated by our partner UTS:INSEARCH, with delegates sharing stories of their first experiences in the bilateral relationship.

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Day Two

On the second day of the conference, delegates left Darwin city and headed to outback Australia.

Murray here signing off! @mjkrtlf

A photo posted by CAUSINDY (@causindy) on

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There was an important bilateral meeting on the bus too:

 
 
 
Back in Darwin, in session two of the CAUSINDY Review delegates got down to the substance of the what their outputs from the conference would look like.

In the evening delegates were hosted by the Indonesian Consul Andre Omar Siregar, where the group discussed opportunities for further collaboration between the two countries, with Darwin being a key staging point for increased cooperation – particularly between Northern Australia and East Indonesia.

A #causindy wefie with Pak Andre Siregar before closing the event. @aosny2011

A photo posted by CAUSINDY (@causindy) on

Day Three

Delegates are walking down to the NT Parliment House #Causindy

A photo posted by CAUSINDY (@causindy) on

Day three explored the politics and economics of the contemporary bilateral relationship. Delegates started the day with UTS:INSEARCH and continued preparing their Review piece.

At Northern Territory Parliament House, CAUSINDY dived into the politics of the bilateral relationship. ABC’s James Oaten moderated a panel with Associate Professor at the ANU Greg Fealy, researcher at CSIS Indonesia Shafiah F Muhibat, Metro TV’s Andini Effendi and The Guardian’s Helen Davidson.

Delegates were then hosted by the Minister for Asian Engagement and Trade, the Hon. Peter Styles MLA for lunch at Parliament House.

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In the afternoon, Paralou’s Susie Sugden, SEDAYU’s Fendi Liem and the Australia Indonesia Centre’s Richard Price talked about the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Indonesia.

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Greenfield’s CEO Edgar Collins spoke of his experience doing business in Indonesia, and had encouraging words for young entrepreneurs and support networks like CAUSINDY.

The final stop on day three was a tour of Darwin port by CEO Terry O’Connor. Delegates saw what the trade in the bilateral relationship looks like and heard of how Darwin port is looking north for business opportunities.

A CAUSINDY tradition is the Gala dinner, which brings together the speakers, sponsors, delegates and community leaders. This year CAUSINDY had the pleasure of a keynote speech by Mahendra Siregar and by Peter Styles MLA.

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Here they are — your 2015 delegates:

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Day Four

The final day of CAUSINDY was hosted at Charles Darwin University. Our first panel invited high school and university students along to hear from delegates about the lessons learned from existing engagement in the bilateral relationship in the “Engaging Future Leaders Forum”.

Pleased to share experiences on how to reach your dreams to high school and undergrad students at the CDU. #causindy

A photo posted by Christian Donny Putranto (@cdonnyp) on

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Sah kunjungan ke markas besar Charles Darwin University. #darwin #travel #outback #northernterritory #causindy

A photo posted by Christian Donny Putranto (@cdonnyp) on

CAUSINDY was also very excited to host a live streaming session for the Engaging Future Leaders Forum in Bahasa Indonesia with delegates and university students in from AIYA Kupang.

Delegates and students continued their discussions over lunch at Charles Darwin University.

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The final session of CAUSINDY 2015 explored where the bilateral relationship stand today. Buzzfeed’s Allan Clarke moderated a discussion between Catherina Patinah, Finance Director at SC Johnson, Tracey Hays, CEO of the NT Cattlemen’s Association and Kate Walker, Director of Asian Engagement at the NT Department of Business.

In the last session of CAUSINDY 2015 delegates presented their opinion pieces to the CAUSINDY group. Delegates explored themes of cross cultural communication, the importance of personal linkages and how to break down barriers.

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