Kadin opens first overseas office in Melbourne

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has selected Melbourne, Australia, as a location for its first foreign representative office and opened it on Monday.

The buoyant Australian economy and geographical proximity were the main reasons for the selection.

"We consider Australia to be our most important partner. KADIN is well positioned to address the needs and expectations of the Australian business community," said Suryo B. Sulisto, who heads Kadin's division for promotion of trade, tourism and investments, in a press statement.

The representative office is expected to encourage, assist and promote commerce between the two countries.

"The new Australian Representative Office represents a major achievement in the business affairs and trading relationships of our two countries," Kadin chairman Aburizal Bakrie, said.

The office is headed by Robert Murdoch, a bilingual businessman with many years of experiences in Indonesia.

Murdoch said Indonesia was Australia's closest market and had abundant resources to offer Australian businesses.

On the selection of Melbourne, Suryo said Melbourne had long been recognized as Australia's corporate capital and it was close to the national capital in Canberra.

In conjunction with the event, a business forum themed "Doing Business with the New Indonesia (2004-2009)" was held with keynote speaker Chairman of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Theo F. Toemion.