Indonesia and Queensland -- Strong partners in a global era

Indonesia and Queensland -- Strong partners in a global era

The official openings of the Queensland Trade and Investment
Office in Jakarta on June 12 and the Queensland Representative
Office in Semarang on June 14 mark important steps forward in the
rapidly growing relationship between Indonesia and Queensland,
Australia.

The Premier of Queensland, Rob Borbidge MLA, and the Minister
for Economic Development and Trade, Doug Slack, are both in
Jakarta to participate in this office opening, accompanied by a
60-strong Queensland business delegation to further cement the
relationship.

This will be the Premier's first official visit to Indonesia,
although the Queensland Government has been fostering a Sister
State relationship with Central Java for more than five years.
During his stay, the Premier will be re-signing the Sister State
Agreement with Central Java.

Minister Slack, in addition to his involvement at the opening
of the Trade and Investment Office in Jakarta and the
Representative Office in Semarang, will also lead a 20-strong
delegation of Queensland businesspeople to the Indonesia-
Australia Business Council Annual Conference, to be held from
June 15 to June 17.

Queensland's partnership with Indonesia is reflected in its
desire to promote joint-venture agreements between Queensland and
Indonesian companies. Many of the business mission participants
are keen to meet with prospective partners in a variety of
sectors, including food processing, joint manufacturing of
electrical machinery and agribusiness opportunities.

The newly appointed Queensland Government Commissioner to the
Jakarta Office, Heath McMichael, said: "Queensland's relationship
with Indonesia is not a one-way street.

"Queensland's trade with Indonesia is growing rapidly and we
encourage prospective Indonesian business partners to look
closely at opportunities in Queensland, especially in areas where
we have comparative advantage. Mining-associated services,
feedlotting, software packages and development are examples of
these."

The Queensland Government is interested in a reciprocal
relationship with Indonesia, which recognizes each others
respective strengths and complimentarities.

Queensland is a natural partner for Indonesia by virtue of its
strengths as a supplier of technical expertise for the
exploitation of Indonesia's vast reserves of natural resources
and training to improve the standards of Indonesia's abundant
human resources.

The globalization of the Indonesian and Queensland economies
offer many challenges and benefits to both. The challenges can be
addressed through planning, clever application of available
natural and human resources and the development of a network of
like-minded partners.

Queensland and Indonesia are just such partners -- operating
at differing stages of development but with complimentary
programs of development and progress.

Additionally, these two new trade offices provide important
lines of communication in Government-to-Government relations, an
important facet of ensuring that the partnerships forged between
Indonesian and Queensland businesses work to advance both
economies.

Indonesia, like Queensland, is a highly diversified market,
with the two-way trade figure between the two economies currently
standing at AUS$1 billion.

One of the major areas of trade between Indonesia and
Australia is in the form of training and education. Easily one of
the most valuable benefits which Queensland can offer Indonesia
is the development of its most valuable resource -- the human
resource.

The young people of Indonesia form the human resource on which
the future development of Indonesia is based and Queensland is
proud to be able to play a significant part in this crucial
resource development.

In terms of student numbers, almost 17,000 Indonesian students
chose to study in Australia last year and this is 12 percent of
Australia's international student population.

Many chose to study in Queensland because of the high quality
of the training and educational campuses available throughout
Queensland and also due to their access to smaller regional
campuses.

Queensland is Australia's most-decentralized state, with 70
percent of its population living outside the capital city,
Brisbane. Many of the major regional centers offer a range of
quality training and educational facilities.

These are often seen as preferable locations for study as they
are well away from the distractions and potential dangers of
larger cities.

These international ties help to form a close cultural and
personal bond between the two countries as young Indonesians
learn about Australia and their Australian classmates learn about
Indonesia. This can only strengthen the long-term relationship
between the two countries.

Because of Queensland's proximity to Indonesia, especially
eastern Indonesia, Queensland is particularly keen to assist
Indonesia to develop the natural and human resources of its
eastern provinces.

Minister Slack said: "We are taking a leading role in the
Australia/Indonesia Development Area (AIDA) initiative and will
be working closely with the Indonesian public and private sectors
to foster mutually beneficial projects, with a commercial focus
in the sugar and livestock, tourism, transport, mine development
and remote power generating sectors, to name but a few examples.

"To underline the seriousness with which we view our
relationship with Indonesia, we are opening the two offices in
Jakarta and Semarang to promote business partnerships and ensure
that the potential for mutually beneficial commercial advantage
is realized.

"We are particularly eager to see our Memorandum of
Understanding with Central Java given more body, with increased
cooperation in the education sector (for example twinning
agreements between Central Java universities and TAFES/Schools of
Technology), livestock herd improvement and management, exchanges
of expert personnel in the aquaculture and horticultural fields
and in tourism to name some examples.

"Our aim is to continue to build a strong partnership with
Central Java as a model for productive cooperation between
Queensland and other provinces in Indonesia. We hope that our
relationship with Central Java can serve as a bridge to the rest
of Indonesia."

The Trade and Investment Offices in Jakarta and Semarang will
also assist the business community by:

* Identification of opportunities for collaboration between
Queensland and Indonesian businesses.

* Identifying business partners. Many companies in Indonesia and
Queensland are very keen to forge alliances with like-minded
enterprises.

* Facilitating two-way investment between Queensland and
Indonesia.

* Promoting the strength of the Queensland economy in the areas
of agribusiness and tourism development, mine equipment and
service, transport, manufacturing and education and training.

The two Indonesian offices will be staffed by a number of
experienced trade and investment professionals. Heath McMichael,
as the commissioner to Indonesia, with two marketing managers
from the commercial sector reporting to him.

Because of the breadth of experience and the many climatic and
geographic similarities between the two regions, a representative
from the Queensland Department of Public Works and Housing will
be placed in the Trade Office to assist with enquiries from the
building and construction sector. A representative of the
Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation will also be in the
Office.

In the Semarang Office, Mal Lane has been appointed as
Queensland Representative to Central Java. Some of Lane's
functions include the servicing of the sister-state relations,
assistance with Queensland education and training opportunities,
trade relations and investment.

Queensland's Premier Borbidge said: "One of the Queensland's
government's greatest assets is our understanding of business and
what it takes to build a business.

"As we face the challenges of the global era before us, the
close partnership of Queensland and Indonesia will offer many
opportunities for mutual growth."

For more information about the opportunities for trade and
development with Queensland, please contact:

Heath McMichael

Queensland Commissioner

Queensland Trade & Investment Office

Plaza Bapindo Menara II, 27th Floor

Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 54-55

Jakarta, 12190, Indonesia

Telephone: (021) 5266632, Fax: (021) 5275653