Could wastewater surveillance protect Indonesia from the next pandemic?

Mitigating the effects of future pandemics depends on having a strong health system that can detect infectious diseases early enough to implement a swift and informed response. One of the best ways to do this is by developing a monitoring system capable of detecting disease transmission at the community level.

Why Prabowo’s misguided ‘austerity’ is emblematic of his free-wheeling economic policy    

,
The Prabowo Subianto administration begins 2025 with a massive Rp 306 trillion fiscal spending cut, representing over 8% of this year’s state budget, delivered by Presidential instruction 1/2025.

TALKING INDONESIA PODCASTSee all


Could wastewater surveillance protect Indonesia from the next pandemic?

Mitigating the effects of future pandemics depends on having a strong health system that can detect infectious diseases early enough to implement a swift and informed response. One of the best ways to do this is by developing a monitoring system capable of detecting disease transmission at the community level.

Why Prabowo’s misguided ‘austerity’ is emblematic of his free-wheeling economic policy    

,
The Prabowo Subianto administration begins 2025 with a massive Rp 306 trillion fiscal spending cut, representing over 8% of this year’s state budget, delivered by Presidential instruction 1/2025.

Talking Indonesia: the climate crisis and gender nexus

In this episode, Elisabeth Kramer speaks with Dr Jane Ahlstrand, a senior lecturer in Indonesian studies at the University of New England, about her new research project on the relationship between climate crisis projects, sustainable development and gender in Indonesia.

Prabowo’s 100 days in office: more grandstanding, less policymaking? 

,
The president needs a reality check — how did he fare, really, in his first 100 days?     

Unpaid incentives: Reform of Indonesia’s higher education system long overdue

,
The controversy over the government’s refusal to pay civil servant lecturers their overdue performance allowance (tunjangan kinerja, or tukin) — which they are legally entitled to —certainly highlights the vulnerability of academic jobs in Indonesia. But it also exposes how politics and bureaucracy are undermining real reform of the country’s higher education system.

Prabowo’s myth of ‘polite democracy’

,
The reproduction of cultural narratives and myths, such as the ideal of a harmonious village, often serves to maintain the existing power hierarchy. The new administration’s emphasis on similar narratives, now presented as ‘polite democracy’, warrants caution because it can be easily abused to silence critics and suppress opposition.

Talking Indonesia: Nongkrong Festival and the Indonesian diaspora

In Melbourne and across Australia, Indonesian diaspora communities are reimagining what it means to celebrate their cultural identity through art, food, and the simple act of nongkrong (hanging out). But what happens when these cultural practices become spaces for exploring complex questions about belonging, identity, and ethical settlement on Aboriginal land?

The revival of hip-dut: The dangdut genre that makes Gen-Z hips move 

,
While hip-dut is not an entirely new genre (it is part of a long history of dangdut), the song’s release is, without doubt, a landmark moment in Indonesia’s music scene.

Big Brother is watching: Prabowo government tightens control of cyberspace with new digital monitoring agency

, , ,
In October, Communication and Digital (Komdigi) Minister Meutya Hafid told reporters that President Prabowo Subianto wanted to upgrade the nation’s digital oversight for security reasons. The president, the minister said, was paying special attention to digitalisation, specifically digital security, to address issues such as online gambling, predatory online lending schemes, and human trafficking.

Could wastewater surveillance protect Indonesia from the next pandemic?

Mitigating the effects of future pandemics depends on having a strong health system that can detect infectious diseases early enough to implement a swift and informed response. One of the best ways to do this is by developing a monitoring system capable of detecting disease transmission at the community level.

Why Prabowo’s misguided ‘austerity’ is emblematic of his free-wheeling economic policy    

,
The Prabowo Subianto administration begins 2025 with a massive Rp 306 trillion fiscal spending cut, representing over 8% of this year’s state budget, delivered by Presidential instruction 1/2025.

Talking Indonesia: the climate crisis and gender nexus

In this episode, Elisabeth Kramer speaks with Dr Jane Ahlstrand, a senior lecturer in Indonesian studies at the University of New England, about her new research project on the relationship between climate crisis projects, sustainable development and gender in Indonesia.

Prabowo’s 100 days in office: more grandstanding, less policymaking? 

,
The president needs a reality check — how did he fare, really, in his first 100 days?     

Unpaid incentives: Reform of Indonesia’s higher education system long overdue

,
The controversy over the government’s refusal to pay civil servant lecturers their overdue performance allowance (tunjangan kinerja, or tukin) — which they are legally entitled to —certainly highlights the vulnerability of academic jobs in Indonesia. But it also exposes how politics and bureaucracy are undermining real reform of the country’s higher education system.

Prabowo’s myth of ‘polite democracy’

,
The reproduction of cultural narratives and myths, such as the ideal of a harmonious village, often serves to maintain the existing power hierarchy. The new administration’s emphasis on similar narratives, now presented as ‘polite democracy’, warrants caution because it can be easily abused to silence critics and suppress opposition.

Talking Indonesia: Nongkrong Festival and the Indonesian diaspora

In Melbourne and across Australia, Indonesian diaspora communities are reimagining what it means to celebrate their cultural identity through art, food, and the simple act of nongkrong (hanging out). But what happens when these cultural practices become spaces for exploring complex questions about belonging, identity, and ethical settlement on Aboriginal land?

The revival of hip-dut: The dangdut genre that makes Gen-Z hips move 

,
While hip-dut is not an entirely new genre (it is part of a long history of dangdut), the song’s release is, without doubt, a landmark moment in Indonesia’s music scene.

Big Brother is watching: Prabowo government tightens control of cyberspace with new digital monitoring agency

, , ,
In October, Communication and Digital (Komdigi) Minister Meutya Hafid told reporters that President Prabowo Subianto wanted to upgrade the nation’s digital oversight for security reasons. The president, the minister said, was paying special attention to digitalisation, specifically digital security, to address issues such as online gambling, predatory online lending schemes, and human trafficking.

TALKING INDONESIA PODCASTSee all


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