Australia to open honorary consulate

JAKARTA: Australian Ambassador to Indonesia John McCarthy is scheduled to install Barry Cooke as Australian honorary consul for East Kalimantan during a reception to be held in Balikpapan on Monday, it was announced Friday.

Antara quoted the Australian embassy as saying in a statement that the honorary consulate in Balikpapan is the second to be opened in the country this year, following the launching of the first in Medan, North Sumatra last October.

Australia has had a consulate in Bali since 1981 and is planning to open four more honorary consulates in Surabaya (East Java), Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara), Ambon (Maluku), and Ujungpandang (South Sulawesi).

Barry Cooke is logistics superintendent of PT Arutmin Indonesia, a company belonging to the BHP Group.

The resident Australian population in Balikpapan comprises about 150 families, many of whom represent large companies. Those employed are working at mining sites in the hinterland of East Kalimantan and use Balikpapan as a base.

While in Balikpapan, McCarthy will also observe the Australian-funded Food-for-Work project, which is part of Australia's A$ 60 million humanitarian aid package in response to Indonesia's economic crisis.

The project, run by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), began earlier this year when Australia donated wheat worth A$ 16 million.

Under the arrangement with the WFP, the wheat was exchanged for 28,000 tons of rice to be drawn from government warehouses close to where food is most needed, the statement said.