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Joint Ministerial Statement
Indonesia-Australia Immigration Partnership
His Excellency, Mr Andi Mattalatta, Minister of Law and Human Rights, Republic of Indonesia, and Senator the Hon. Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Australia, met in Jakarta on 3 March 2009.
Ministers welcomed the mutually beneficial immigration cooperation between the two countries that supports people-to-people links by facilitating safe and secure travel.
Desiring to renew and intensify this cooperation, and inspired by the good progress made in joint activities, Ministers signed a memorandum of understanding on a new reciprocal Work and Holiday visa arrangement between the two countries. This arrangement will allow young, educated Australian and Indonesian travellers who are aged between 18 (eighteen) and 30 (thirty) to work and holiday in Indonesia and Australia respectively for up to 12 (twelve) months.
Ministers noted that this visa arrangement would be an investment in future people-to-people links between Australia and Indonesia. This visa will provide an incentive for young people to deepen their understanding of the history, culture and economy of both nations by allowing them to travel and experience a different lifestyle and culture, while working to subsidise their holiday.
Ministers also affirmed that Indonesia and Australia would continue, together and with other countries in the region, to strengthen their borders against people smuggling, terrorism and other forms of transnational crime. Ministers acknowledged the importance of the Bali Process in promoting effective regional cooperation between countries on these issues.
Ministers looked forward to the opportunity to meet at the Bali Process Ministerial Meeting in Bali in April to discuss further ways to strengthen immigration cooperation to prevent people smuggling, human trafficking and related trans-national crime in the region.