Indonesians find Perth attractive

Indonesians find Perth attractive

The Indonesian Consulate in Perth says about 10,000 Indonesians
are living in the Western Australian capital. About half are
students, the rest retired or in business.

Probably the most famous are members of the Gudang Garam
tobacco empire who are reported to have spent millions of dollars
on buying prime waterfront real estate. They include the family
of the company's president commissioner, Rachman Halim.

Perth has long been a popular location for Indonesian property
investors, attracted by the state's proximity to Java. It takes
only 3 hours 20 minutes to fly from Perth to Denpasar which is in
the same time zone, and less than an hour extra to Jakarta.

Several up-market districts have become popular with well-
heeled Indonesians. These suburbs are close to universities, the
Indian Ocean and the Swan River.

This is a calm, wide waterway that adds charm to an attractive
and well laid out city of around 1.5 million people. The
lifestyle is generally more relaxed than other Australian
capitals.

For those who can afford it, a house or apartment near
education facilities gives the family a base while their
offspring are at school or university.

The city's medical facilities have also been a draw card:
Politician Taufiq Kiemas, the husband of former president
Megawati Sukarnoputri, is among many Indonesians who have had
major surgery in Perth.

The recent violent clashes between young men from a Lebanese
background and those with an Anglo-Celtic heritage that occurred
on Sydney beaches have not been duplicated in Perth.

At least 27 Indonesian community organizations have been
formed in Perth. About 14 are Christian, four Islamic, including
a branch of ICMI - the Association of Indonesian Muslim
Intellectuals.

Some are specifically for students. Others represent ethnic
groups, like the Balinese, and the Minangkabau from West Sumatra.

The last Australian census recorded that the majority of
47,000 Indonesian-born people living in Australia were women,
well-educated, ethnic Chinese and Christian. More than 50 per
cent had become Australian citizens.

(Duncan Graham)