In Indonesia, a country prone to disasters and emergencies, effective risk communication can mean the difference between safety and vulnerability for millions. But what happens when risk communication fails to reach those most marginalised? How do social determinants of health impact how urban poor women navigate crises like the COVID-19 pandemic?
AIC
On 22 February 2025, President Prabowo Subianto hosted dozens of chief editors from major media organisations at his private residence in Hambalang, West Java, to discuss his administration’s budget cuts and free nutritious meals program.
Amidst increasing livelihood precarity, many of Indonesia’s rural youth continue to hope for a better future.
From FIFA World Cup Qualifier power plays between Australia v Indonesia to cross-border goals, we break it all down.
Amid Indonesia’s conservative turn, the moral panics of the 2010s and the introduction of the draconian Criminal Code in 2022, LGBTQI+ people are as vulnerable as at any time in the country’s modern history.
“When you see the problems, you run to the problems, you face the problems, you overcome the problems.”
In mid-February 2025, a song titled Bayar, Bayar, Bayar (Pay, Pay, Pay) by post-punk band Sukatani sparked a nationwide call for greater freedom of expression under President Prabowo’s increasingly authoritarian administration.
The establishment of Danantara, Indonesia’s new sovereign wealth fund (SWF), has sparked both optimism and scepticism. Modelled after successful SWFs like Singapore’s Temasek and Malaysia’s Khazanah, Danantara is expected to optimise the management of state-owned assets, drive economic growth, and enhance national welfare.
The students list a number of demands, from human rights to environmental issues, but the trigger for these protests lie in deep budgetary cuts initiated across the public service, to the tune of US$44 billion. The worst ministries and agencies — including the Ministry for Manpower and the Ministry for Public Works — have proposed cuts of up to 55%. The National Consumer Protection Agency is being cut a whopping 73%. Meanwhile, the National Police, the Ministry of Defence and the Supreme Court are seeing cuts of around 15-16%.
The idea of creating a ‘superholding’ of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) – promoted during his presidential campaign by Prabowo Subianto – is now becoming a reality.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected people and the economy in unprecedented ways. Mobility restrictions and the resulting economic slowdown dramatically increased unemployment rates and dragged millions of households below the poverty line.
Today I announce the appointment of Ms Lydia Santoso as Chair of the Australia-Indonesia Institute.
The AIC’s Indonesia director Kevin Evans examines the pros and cons of presidential and parliamentary systems. This follows comments last year by President Prabowo Subianto that governance of the country should return to some form of parliamentary system.
In this 5000-word analysis, Evans answers how best to structure the roles of head of state and head of government, and whether there should be separate positions of president and prime minister.
In his inaugural speech on 20 October 2024, President Prabowo Subianto stressed that Indonesia’s democracy must be ‘uniquely Indonesian’, rooted in the country’s history and culture.
In discussions about Indonesian diaspora, they are often seen as ‘assets’ that contribute to Indonesian economy.
The AIC through its Partnership for Australia-Indonesia (PAIR) research program is investigating some of the biggest global challenges including climate change. In this article we look at the system of a circular economy and how it can help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
