The Morrison Government’s diplomacy is so ineffective, one of Australia’s closest friends has been forced to take the highly unusual step of making public submissions to a policy review in order to have its views heard.
Two senior Indonesian Ministers – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin and Minister for National Development Suharso Monoarfa – have lodged public submissions to the Morrison government’s review of aid policy.
This extraordinary measure reveals just how much strain the Morrison Government’s slashing of development assistance to Indonesia is placing on Australia’s relationship with one of our most important neighbours – and suggests the Morrison Government is not listening to Indonesia through normal diplomatic channels.
The submissions state that the Australian development partnership with Indonesia is a fundamental element of the bilateral relationship and urge the Morrison Government to maintain its aid program in Indonesia.
They say that Australian aid is not only important for tackling poverty but supports policy reforms that strengthen Indonesia’s stability and prosperity.
This comes after the Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Marise Payne brushed aside concerns about the Morrison Government’s halving of development assistance to Indonesia, claiming in Senate estimates this week that the cuts did not matter because other aspects of the relationship were strong.
Labor obtained new figures last month showing that since the Coalition came to office it has cut Australian development assistance to the South East and East Asian region by 30 per cent.
Indonesia has faced the biggest impact with the figures showing the Coalition Government has cut Australia’s annual official development assistance to Jakarta by $312 million, or 51 per cent, since 2014-15.
The figures also show the Coalition has cut aid funding for education programs in developing countries by 42 per cent and health programs by 31 per cent.
The Morrison Government’s failure to come up with a plan for our most important regional relationships are jeopardising our national interests in a stable, secure and prosperous region.