In 2015 the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLF) shared a simple message: “Look to Indonesia, not over it”. It was a call to recognise our closest neighbour not only as a trading partner but as a collaborator towards a shared future that benefits both nations. In that original article we noted there existed low levels of understanding between our two countries. A decade later it could be argued that this is still the case and the need to engage Indonesia remains as strong as ever.
Back then the context of the article was the live cattle trade and the shifting dynamics of agricultural policy. Yet beneath the headlines was a deeper message: genuine relationships matter. That patience, cultural understanding and shared purpose form the foundation of meaningful collaboration. This understanding remains as important today and informs the ARLF’s approach to renewed engagement with our region.
Now the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP) is getting ready return to Indonesia, renewing connections first forged through those early exchanges. Once again rural, regional and remote Australian leaders will walk the ground, share experiences with meet local farmers, business representatives, health workers producers and innovators to see first-hand the shared experiences and fresh insights that lie in collaboration.
In addition, with support from the Australian–Indonesia Institute (AII), the ARLF is looking to develop an initiatve to deepen this engagement with the Australia–Indonesia Leadership Exchange: Peer Connections and Dialogue event. This initiative seeks to create purposeful, ongoing connections between Australian participants and Indonesian leaders to share practice, test ideas and strengthen people-to-people links that benefit both countries. By pairing Australian and Indonesian leaders across industry sectors they will look to co-create solutions, test ideas and share approaches to leadership in complex systems.
Importantly, this is not intended to be a one-off engagement. Through the facilitated forum, matched peer partnerships and a bilingual online hub, participants will sustain their dialogue beyond the initial connection. The intention is to create something larger and longer lasting. Ultimately, to build a shared future we need to cultivate leaders who can work across cultures, challenge assumptions and see opportunities in differences.
More broadly, the challenges facing both nations, from food security to climate adaptation, can’t be solved in isolation. Australia and Indonesia share geography, industries and increasingly futures. The ARLF’s return to Indonesia is not a nostalgic revisit, it’s a reaffirmation that impactful leadership comes from collaboration and continuous acts of learning. To achieve that we need to build genuine relationships that matter and forge a shared purpose. While this is not something that will be achieved overnight or by a single program or initiative, it is important that those of us who seek to develop great leadership for our own communities contribute to the effort and embrace the lessons it can bring.
The ARLF’s newest engagement in Indonesia marks not only a renewed commitment to our region but the renewal of a friendship. As the Indonesian expression notes, ”if we meet once or twice, we are acquaintances; if we meet a third time, we are friends.”
Matt Linnegar
Chief Executive of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation
